Sold – The Rough Riders Pass Into History

One of the most famous of all the units in the history of the American armed services, "Rough Riders" was the name given to the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War. The war broke out in April 1898 and  Roosevelt resigned his position as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in May to join the volunteer cavalry. The original plan for the unit called for filling it with men from the Indian Territory, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. However, once Roosevelt joined the group, it quickly became the place for a mix of troops ranging from Ivy League athletes to glee-club singers to Texas Rangers and Indians. At the end of May, after training, the unit went to Tampa; it sailed for Santiago de Cuba on June 13. There they joined the Fifth Corps, another highly trained, well supplied, and enthusiastic group consisting of excellent soldiers from the regular army and volunteers.

You are hereby ordered to go to Bayside, East Hampton or Oakdale and bring back immediately or arrange to have brought back tomorrow all those members of this regiment

The Rough Riders saw battle at Las Guásimas, the result of which gave left U.S. forces in full control of this Spanish outpost on the road to Santiago. At this point, Wood received a promotion to general and command of the Rough Riders went to Roosevelt. Then occurred the event that made their (and Roosevelt’s) reputations: the Battle of San Juan Hill. The Rough Riders received orders to assist the regulars in their assault on Kettle Hill and San Juan Heights. TR, riding on horseback, got his men onto their feet and into position to begin making their way up the hill. Their orders were to proceed slowly to coordinate with other units around them, but TR, declaring himself the ranking officer on the field, instead ordered a charge up the hill. He then rode off on his horse, Texas, leading his own men uphill while waving his hat in the air and cheering. The Rough Riders followed him with enthusiasm and obedience without hesitation. By then, the other men from the different units on the hill became stirred by this event and began bolting up the hill alongside their countrymen. Within twenty minutes Kettle Hill was taken, and the rest of San Juan Heights was taken within the hour following. This action was widely reported and soon became the stuff of legend. Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders became household names.  

On August 12, 1898, the Spanish Government surrendered to the United States and agreed to an armistice that relinquished its control of Cuba. The U.S. also gained the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and became an international power. The Rough Riders’ work was done and they were sent home. On August 14, they landed at Montauk Point in Long Island, New York, and went into encampment at Camp Wikoff. Some of the men had malaria, plus there were cases of yellow fever, dysentery and other illnesses. So the men that were ill were sent to hospitals on Long Island, with a portion of them even requiring to be quarantined. For the rest of the regiment, the month in Montauk was spent in celebrations of victory.

Dr. Frank Donaldson was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt's and joined the Rough Riders on July 9 as a 1st Lieutenant and Assistant  Surgeon. He was with the regiment at Camp Wikoff and was assisting in the care of the sick. In September, TR received word that the Rough Riders were to be mustered out. Although most of the men were already in camp, some of the sick were not, so he needed to gather them for discharge. Typed Letter Signed with holograph additions in Roosevelt’s own hand, Headquarters 1st U.S. Cavalry, September 11, 1898, to Dr. Donaldson, ordering him to bring to camp those men in hospital elsewhere that were healthy enough to travel. “You are hereby ordered to go to Bayside, East Hampton or Oakdale and bring back immediately or arrange to have brought back tomorrow all those members of this regiment quartered there, except those who in your opinion are too ill to return.” It is signed “T. Roosevelt, Col. commanding 1st U.S. Vol. Cav.” Donaldson did so.

Now the Rough Riders were gathered; they were mustered out on September 15 and passed into history.