Roosevelt And The Rough Riders example essay topic

ROUGH RIDERS Ben Ker foot 3/7/02 Per. 5 The Rough Riders were the most famous of all the units fighting in Cuba during the Spanish, American war. The Spanish, American war started by America wanting to expand their influence in the western hemisphere. To do that they would need to gain action politically or militarily in Cuba (a Spanish ruled country).

The first battle of the war was The Battle of Manilla. Which was a naval strike on the Manila harbor. Led by Commander George Dewey, the Navy won the most glorious victory in the history of the Navy. However this didn't end the war. In order for America to force the Spanish out, a military invasion on Cuba would have to take place. More than 250,000 soldiers rushed to volunteer for service.

Soldiers gathered in Florida and waited impatiently for supplies and transportation. Some individuals organized and outfitted their own regiments. Teddy Roosevelt was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy at the time, he resigned his post and formed a voluntary cavalry. Asso on as word spread that Roosevelt was looking for volunteers, the War office was swamped with requests of people wanting to volunteer. 23,000 people applied and only 2,000 were accepted. Those 2,000 volunteers were unlike any calvary the army had ever seen before.

The calvary was made up of football players, full blood Pawnee Indians, aristocratic English dandies, trail wise cowboys, polo players, Rhodes Scholars, and policemen. Roosevelt assembled his men in San Antonio, were he whipped them into army shape. Day after day, they marched, rode, shot, and paraded under the hot climate of Texas. Within a few weeks Roosevelt's calvary was ready to break the grip of the Spanish rule on Cuba. With the July temperature climbing above 100 degrees, the soldiers journeyed off through the thick jungle toward the city of Santiago. Wearing uniforms of wool, the men struggled against the heat.

Many soldiers who brought rations of food along often discovered that it had spoiled. Soon many of them became ill from malaria, fever, and dysentery. After a few brief encounters, the Spanish and American armies confronted each other at the San Juan hills. The Spanish highly defended the hills along a ridge east of Santiago. Roosevelt scouted up and down the lines.

"I had come to the conclusion that it was silly to stay in the valley firing up at the hills... the thing to do was to try to rush the entrenchments", he said. With a pistol in one hand an a saber in the other, he rode up toward the top with his soldiers following on foot. They went all out toward the top, even though they were being slowed by the Spanish Roosevelt kept leading them on and eventually captured the top of Kettle Hill. The battle for Santiago was the last major conflict over Spanish ownership of Cuba.

Roosevelt and the Rough Riders forced the surrender of Santiago. Unlike George Dewey's battle this battle came at a costly price. Out of the 568 rough riders landed in Cuba, only 339 were fit for service. All the rest were dead, wounded or sick. That July 1st was by far the most glorious day in Roosevelt's storied life. Roosevelt became the most famous man in America that day.

One problem with capturing Cuba was a disease called yellow fever, which was carried by mosquitoes. During the course of action, 29,000 Americans were exposed to it. Back then there was no known medicine that could fight the disease. So the big question was, what to do with the troops? Their decision was to move the soldiers to Montauk.

Montauk was a completely isolated city. The medical wisdom back then was strange. They believed that the disease was airborne, and since Montauk was on the coast the shore winds would carry the disease out to sea. The 29,000 Spanish American veterans set sail from Cuba for Montauk. They arrived at what they still call Rough Riders Landing, on Fort Pond Bay, on August 14, 1898. A small yet enthusiastic crowd awaited them.

The crowd roared as the hero of San Juan Hill, Theodore Roosevelt stepped off the ship. A reporter asked how he felt, Roosevelt replied "I'm in a disgracefully healthy condition! I've had a bully time and a bully fight! I feel as strong as a Bull Moose!" Frightening headlines began to take place, "It is Murder That is Being Done at Montauk", was one of them, however the problems were real. Montauk's barren landscape was problem enough, hundreds of tents had to be pitched, miles of telephone wire run, wells sunk, latrines dug, and field hospitals and kitchens erected. Thank God there was lots of unexpected help that began to arrive.

The most important was the Women's National War Relief Association. Thanks to them, the soldiers were so much improved in health that by the beginning of September they were able to go home.