The Rough Riders

"The mustering-places for the regiment were appointed in New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Indian Territory. The difficulty in organizing was not in selecting, but in rejecting men. Within a day or two after it was announced that we were to raise the regiment, we were literally deluged with applications from every quarter of the Union. Without the slightest trouble, so far as men went, we could have raised a brigade or even a division. The difficulty lay in arming, equipping, mounting, and disciplining the men we selected." As an American war hero and future President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt leads his readers through the dangerous encounters and unbecoming circumstances of the Spanish-American War of 1898 in this 1899 best seller, The Rough Riders. His group of infantry, composed of American cowboys, intellectuals, and outlaws that volunteered to serve under his leadership, experienced extreme hardship throughout the war. In this first-hand account, Roosevelt's book gives voice and context to the battles of Las Guasimas, San Juan Hill, and Santiago, and depicts the dire preparation and equipping of his troops, referred to as 'The Rough Riders' by the United States Army. From the moment he took command of the infantry, all the way to Roosevelt's defeat of the Spanish Army and request to bring his men home, this personal depiction brings the Spanish-American War to life. For war-buffs, historians, and action readers alike, this rough tale will captivate and amaze. A Third Place Press Rediscovery Edition.