Great Heart The Life Story of Theodore Roosevelt 15

Great Heart The Life Story of Theodore Roosevelt 15

“I spoke to the captain in command of the rear platoons, saying that

I had been ordered to support the regulars in the attack upon the

hills, and that in my judgment we could not take these hills by firing

at them, and that we must rush them. He answered that his orders were

to keep his men lying where they were, and that he could not charge

without order. I asked where the colonel was, and, as he was not in

sight, said: ‘Then I am the ranking officer here and I give the order

to charge,’ for I did not want to keep the men longer in the open

suffering under a fire which they could not effectively return.

 

“Naturally, the captain hesitated to obey this order when no word

had been received from his own colonel. So I said: ‘Then let my men

through, sir,’ and rode on through the lines, followed by the grinning

Rough Riders, whose attention had been completely taken off the Spanish

bullets, partly by my dialogue with the regulars and partly by the

language I had been using to themselves as I got the lines forward, for

I had been joking with some and swearing at others, as the exigencies

of the case seemed to demand.

 

“When I got to where the head of the left wing of the 9th was lying,

through the courtesy of Lieutenant Hartwick, two of whose colored

troopers threw down the fence, I was enabled to get back into the lane,

at the same time waving my hat and giving the order to charge the

hill on our right front. Out of my sight, over on the right, Captains

McBlain and Taylor, of the 9th, made up their minds independently to

charge at just about this time; and at almost the same moment Colonels

Carroll and Hamilton, who were off, I believe, to my left, where we

could see neither them nor their men, gave the order to advance. But of

all this I knew nothing at the time. The whole line, tired of waiting

and eager to close with the enemy, was straining to go forward; and it

seems that different parts slipped the leash at almost the same moment.

The 1st Cavalry came up the hill just behind, and partly mixed with my

regiment and the 9th. As already said, portions of the 3d, 6th and 10th

followed, while the rest of the members of these three regiments kept

more in touch with the infantry on our left.”

 

Roosevelt, at the head of his cheering, firing men, galloped toward

the hill. Forty yards from the top he ran into a wire fence and was

forced to dismount from his horse, Little Texas, and turn it loose.

 

The Spaniards fled from the ranch buildings as the Americans

approached, and soon the hill was covered with Rough Riders and the

colored troopers of the 9th, with some men from the 1st. On the top of

the hill was a huge iron kettle, used probably for sugar refining. From

this big pot the battle derived its name of Kettle Hill.

 

 

THE FAMOUS “ROUND ROBIN”

 

Having aided materially in the capture of Kettle Hill, Roosevelt and

his men looked toward their left, to where the Spaniards were fighting

in the trenches under the San Juan blockhouse. General Hawkins’ brigade

was storming this blockhouse and soon captured it. When the blockhouse

fell the Colonel ordered a charge to a line of hills still further on.

 

Only four men started with him. Three of these were shot. Roosevelt

gave one of the wounded his canteen of water and ran back to find out

why the other soldiers had not followed. He found that nobody had heard

his orders.

 

By this time General Sumner had come up and Roosevelt asked of him

permission to lead the charge. Sumner gave his consent and the Rough

Riders stormed the Spanish entrenchment. There was close fighting,

which resulted in the taking of a few prisoners, and what was more

important to the men, the capture of Spanish provisions.

 

Later in the day the Spaniards counter-attacked. The Rough Riders were

glad of the chance to fight in the open, and drove back the Spaniards

with laughter and cheers. During this fight Roosevelt was the highest

officer in command at his part of the front.

 

A rumor went around that the men were to be ordered to fall back. That

evening after the fight, General Wheeler visited the front and told

Roosevelt to keep himself in readiness to fall back if necessary.

Roosevelt answered:

 

“Well, general, I really don’t know whether we would obey an order

to fall back. We can take that city by a rush and if we have to move

out of here at all I should be inclined to make the rush in the right

direction.”

 

General Wheeler thought for a moment, then he expressed his hearty

agreement with the Colonel’s sentiments and promised that there would

be no falling back. Wheeler had been ill for a couple of days, but like

the old gamecock he was, he had managed to take a strong part in the

fight.

 

It was the opinion of the Rough Riders that if there had been one in

high command to press the attack that afternoon the Americans would

have gone right into Santiago.

 

The next day the battle became a siege and most of the fighting was

done from trench works. The flag of truce was sent to demand the

surrender of the city. Each day thereafter the soldiers expected to see

Santiago surrendered, and whatever fighting was done was of a minor

nature.

 

During the truce certain military attachés and foreign officers came

out to visit the Rough Riders. Interesting, in view of the warm

relations between Britain and America during the world war, was the

incident that happened when Prince X, a Russian, visited Roosevelt. The

Colonel introduced him to one of the regular army officers, a splendid

fellow, who yet viewed foreign relations from a strictly mid-Western

viewpoint. Roosevelt overheard him remark to the Russian, whom he

called “Prince” as familiarly as a Kentuckian called his neighbor

“Colonel”:

 

“You see, Prince, the great result of this war is that it has united

the two branches of the Anglo-Saxon people; and now that they are

together they can whip the world, Prince! They can whip the world!”

 

Other army officers, who had not received the training in diplomacy and

international relationship that our American officers have received

in the late conflict, had the habit of grouping all of these foreign

attachés under the title of “Dutchmen.”

 

When this same Russian was making his farewell round, a general shook

hands with him heartily, with this parting remark:

 

“Well, goodby; sorry you are going. Which are you anyhow--a German or a

Russian?”

 

On the 17th of July, Santiago formally surrendered, and the Rough

Riders with the rest of the army were drawn up beside their trenches.

The American flag was hoisted, the trumpets sounded and the men

cheered. Their fighting was over.

 

After the siege, the army officers in Washington proposed to keep the

army stationed around Santiago. General Shafter tried his best to have

the army ordered home. The health of the troops was becoming very bad.

Yellow fever and malarial fever had attacked them. If the soldiers

remained it is possible that at least one-half of them would have died

or have become invalided.

 

General Shafter’s attempts failed and at last he called a council of

his commanders and general medical officers and consulted them in the

matter.

 

Roosevelt, while he had command of a brigade, was only a colonel and

did not mean to attend the conference, but General Shafter sent word to

him that he was wanted particularly, and he went.

 

The general explained to his officers that he could not get the War

Department to appreciate their situation and that the public itself was

ignorant of the ravages disease was making upon their ranks. He felt

that there should be some announcement issued which would make the War

Department take action before most of the men were down with sickness.

 

At this point General Shafter sought Roosevelt’s assistance. He

explained to him that as he was a volunteer officer, about to return

immediately to civil life, he could afford to take risks which regular

army men could not afford to take. Therefore, he suggested that the

Colonel write a letter or make a statement appealing for a withdrawal

of the army from the fever holes of Cuba.

 

Roosevelt left the meeting with the understanding that he would give an

interview on the subject to the press. General Wood, however, hinted

to him that it would be better to put his statement in the form of a

letter to General Shafter. This Roosevelt did. Then he presented the

letter to General Shafter, who waved it away and said:

 

“I don’t want to take it; do what you wish with it!”

 

The Colonel, however, persisted in handing it to him. At the same

time a “Round Robin” was in course of preparation by the commanding

officers. This also was addressed to General Shafter.

 

This document, at the request of the commanding officers, was written

by General Wood, who being a surgeon, keenly realized the need of

removing the men from their pestilential quarters, and was signed by

Generals Kent, Bates, Chaffee, Sumner, Ludlow, Ames and Wood.

 

The Associated Press representative was anxious to secure a copy of

this “Round Robin,” but Wood told him it was impossible for him to have

it or see it.

 

Wood then went to General Shafter, handed him the paper and said:

 

“The matter is now in your hands.”

 

Shafter said: “I don’t care whether this gentleman has it or not,”

referring to The Associated Press correspondent.

 

The Associated Press representative then secured a copy of the

dispatch and thus the affair became public. The result of this

publicity became immediately felt. Within three days the army received

orders to prepare to sail for home.

 

On August 7 the Rough Riders embarked on the transport Miamee. At last

the transport sighted the Long Island coast, and late on the afternoon

of the 14th it entered the waters of the Sound and cast anchor at Montauk Point.