Theodore Roosevelt’s role in the Spanish-American War is often seen as the beginning of his ascendancy in the eyes of the public, leading to his election as Governor of New York and subsequently as Vice President. Following the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, of course, he assumed the role of President and was elected to a second term. 

But in 1898, Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the author of 10 books and well connected in Washington. That February, when the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Congress authorized the President to recruit a volunteer army of 3,000 men to drive the Spaniards out of Cuba --- presuming they were responsible for the explosion. They had been attempting to suppress a determined band of resistance fighters in Cuba (and elsewhere) for several years, and on April 21st, the U.S. declared war against Spain. 

"The author of this absorbing narrative has decided to focus squarely on the events surrounding the famous battle, and his ability to recreate those weeks, in all their glory and gore, is impressive."

Born during the Civil War years, young Teddy had grown up on stories of the war and desperately wanted to go into battle. So he resigned his post to become a Lieutenant Colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Calvary and proposed that his friend, Captain Leonard Wood, lead these “Rough Riders” into battle. When both were commissioned, they set out to assemble the regiment --- which turned out to be difficult because so many wanted to join that they couldn’t all be accommodated. Originally conceived as a troop of hardy and hardened cowboys, numerous wealthy and well-connected Easterners, including many fellow Harvard classmates of Roosevelt’s, petitioned the men to let them join as well.

In fact, so famous was the regiment even before they set off for Cuba that journalists like Richard Harding Davis and Stephen Crane came along to report of its progress. The regiment benefitted from both Roosevelt’s connections and his remarkable ability to cut through red tape and get the necessary supplies or permissions. At times, he had no compunction about ignoring or challenging what his superiors commanded, which explains in part why he never received the Medal of Honor, despite his heroics on San Juan Hill. (He was awarded it posthumously, in 2001.)

The author of this absorbing narrative has decided to focus squarely on the events surrounding the famous battle, and his ability to recreate those weeks, in all their glory and gore, is impressive. The reader is brought along from the moment Roosevelt gets his commission, to his regiment’s trials getting to Cuba, and through the six weeks they remain there. From accounts written by soldiers, the journalists and Roosevelt himself, Mark Lee Gardner gives us a sense of what those weeks were like and how loyal the men were to Roosevelt, whom they considered their personal hero.

But while there were plenty of heroics during and after the famous charge up San Juan Hill, the author is careful not to focus only on their victory. Almost a fifth of the men with Roosevelt at the charge were killed or wounded, and many more died in skirmishes before and after. Yellow fever swept through the encampment, and the field hospital had no cots, blankets or rations.

Still, the men returned home to a remarkable welcome --- and they were celebrated with parades and, for a group of them, a private meeting with President McKinley. When Roosevelt’s own book, The Rough Riders, came out the following May, it became an immediate bestseller. Some argued that he was self-aggrandizing in his depiction of his role in the events. But his regiment was, almost to a man, utterly loyal to, and grateful for, his bravery and leadership. Many remained in touch with him for years.

The story depicted in ROUGH RIDERS is an interesting footnote to the Roosevelt legacy, but it’s important for showing a man who, though he had accomplished much by the age of 39 and would achieve even more in his remaining 21 years, led a troop of men into battle with gumption, even gusto. Given his bravery, optimism and extraordinary leadership, his subsequent rise comes as no surprise.

Audiobook available, read by Danny Campbell