DEVOTION OF THE ROUGH RIDERS TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT--HIS KINDNESS TO HIS
MEN--LAST OF THE FIGHTING--THE TRUCE AND TREATY OF PEACE
With the defeat of Admiral Cervera's fleet, a flag of truce was sent
into Santiago by the commander of our army, demanding the surrender of
the city. While these negotiations were pending, all fighting came to an
end, and the Rough Riders had but little to do outside of making
themselves comfortable and caring for the many who were getting sick
because of the lack of shelter and proper food. Food was now coming in
more rapidly, and soon all were supplied with tents and blankets. During
this time Theodore Roosevelt's personal baggage appeared, and he
celebrated the arrival by treating himself to a shave and a change of
linen, something impossible to do since the fighting had begun.
In his own writings, Mr. Roosevelt has spoken at great length of the
devotion which all of the Rough Riders displayed toward him. They were
anxious to wait on him at all hours of the day and night. Some would
pitch his tent, others would clean his weapons, and still others would
go hunting and bring in such game as the vicinity afforded. When ordered
to do anything, there was rarely a grumble. Those in the hospital bore
their sufferings with remarkable fortitude.
In return for this, Theodore Roosevelt did all he could to make life
less hard for those under him. The game that was brought to him he sent
to the hospital, that the wounded might have proper nourishment; and he
either went himself or sent somebody to the seacoast, to purchase food
which the commissary department possessed, but which, through lack of
organization, it was slow in distributing. When no shelter was to be
had, he slept on the ground with his men, and when they had to work on
the trenches at night, he was up and around superintending the labor.
"He was one of us, and he let us know it," was said by one of the Rough
Riders. "He ate the same food we did, and he was mighty good to the
sick and the wounded. He paid for lots of things out of his own pocket,
and I don't believe he has ever asked Uncle Sam to pay him back."
There was no telling how soon the truce would come to an end and
fighting would begin again, and night after night the Rough Riders were
kept on guard. There was a standing order that each fourth man should
keep awake while the others slept, and no matter how dark or rainy the
night, Theodore Roosevelt tramped around from one trench to another,
seeing to it that this order was obeyed. He also visited the
intrenchments of other commands, to compare them and make certain that
the grade of service was equally high among the Rough Riders. This shows
distinctly that he was a natural-born military commander.
The truce lasted a week, and while all operations were supposed to have
come to an end, both the Americans and the Spaniards spent the time in
strengthening their positions. At one time the Americans constructed a
fairly good defence, in which they placed two Gatling guns and two
automatic Colt guns, and this was named Fort Roosevelt, in honor of the
Rough Rider commander.
On the tenth of July the fighting began once more, and again the
batteries on both sides sent shot and shell into the camps of the enemy.
It was largely fighting at long range, and the only Rough Riders who
took part were those who manned the Colt's guns, and a small body of
sharpshooters stationed in a trench well to the front.
On the next day the Rough Riders were ordered northward, to guard the
road running from Santiago to El Caney. Here some fighting was in
progress, and the troopers expected to get into battle once more. But
the skirmish came to an end before they arrived, very much to their
disappointment.
Hardly had the Rough Riders settled in their new position than a storm
came up which proved to be the heaviest yet experienced during the
campaign. While Theodore Roosevelt was sleeping in his tent, the shelter
was blown down and away, and all of his personal effects were scattered
in the mud and wet. As best he could, he donned his clothing, saw to it
that his men were safe, and then betook himself to a kitchen tent,
where he finished the sleep of that night on a rude table recently taken
from an abandoned Spanish home in that vicinity.
"On that night it rained cats and dogs and hammer-handles," said one of
the soldiers afterward. "It was inky dark--darker than I have ever known
it to be anywhere on the plains. The water made a muddy pond of the
whole camp, and the trenches were half filled in no time. Everything was
blown helter-skelter by the furious wind, and some of our outfits we
never recovered. In the midst of the confusion some fellows reported
that the Spaniards were trying to break through our lines, but the
report was false,--the outsiders were starving Cubans who had come in
looking for shelter and something to eat. We gave them what we
could--which was precious little, for we had next to nothing
ourselves--and then got them to help us get things together again. One
of the Cubans was an old man, who could speak a little English. He said
he had lost two daughters and three grandchildren by starvation since
the war between Spain and Cuba had started. He himself was little more
than a skeleton."
That Theodore Roosevelt was warmhearted enough to look out for other
soldiers besides those of his own command is proven by what took place
on the day following the big storm. Next to the Rough Riders were
located a regiment of Illinois Volunteers. Because of the muddy roads
and swollen streams, they could get no rations, and scant as were their
own supplies, Colonel Roosevelt had the Rough Riders furnish them with
beans, coffee, and a few cases of hardtack, for which they were
extremely grateful. Later in the day the commander of the Rough Riders
also got to them part of a mule train of provisions.
The American position had been greatly strengthened, and many additional
troops were now at the front. It was felt that an advance upon Santiago
would surely result in victory, although the losses might be large. But
the Spaniards were no longer in a position to continue the struggle, and
on July 17 the city formally surrendered. The surrendered territory
covered many miles, and the Spanish soldiers to lay down their arms
numbered upward of twenty thousand.
There was great cheering in the American trenches when the glad news was
brought in, and soon Old Glory was planted on every height, while the
trumpets sounded out triumphantly. Possession of Santiago was immediate,
and in a few hours the Stars and Stripes floated from the flagstaff of
the civil government buildings. Our gallant army had won on the land
just as our gallant navy had won on the sea. The war had been, for us,
one of triumph from start to finish.
In foreign countries the news was received with an astonishment that can
scarcely be described. After Dewey's wonderful victory in Manila Bay,
many naval experts said that such a fight could not be duplicated, yet
it was duplicated two months later off Santiago Bay in a manner that
left no doubt of American supremacy on the sea. Then when it came to
fighting on land, our army was designated as "paper" soldiers, that is,
soldiers on paper or in name only, and it was said that their guns would
be found of little use against the Mausers of Spain. But this was
likewise false; and to-day the army and navy of the United States are
respected everywhere. And more than this, foreign powers have come to
our country for many of their war-ships, asking us to build and equip
them, and also asking us to make cannon and rifles for them.
While the war was on in Cuba, a part of the United States army under
General Miles was sent to Porto Rico, another island belonging to Spain.
Here the inhabitants hailed the Americans with delight, and the
resistance by the Spanish soldiers was only half-hearted.
With the downfall of the navy and Santiago, Spain knew not what to do
next, and gladly received the terms of peace offered by President
McKinley and his advisers. The terms were accepted on August 9, and thus
the short but sharp war came to a termination. By the treaty of peace
Cuba was given her liberty, and Porto Rico and the Philippines passed
into the possession of the United States.