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.
The Rough Riders stood by their Colonel to the man. In the United
States disparaging remarks had been made about the Colonel and
his regiment. Some of the officials in Washington, angered at his
criticisms of the canned beef and the short supplies sent to the men,
took occasion to sneer at his campaign.
In the jungles of Cuba, however, the Rough Riders saw Roosevelt in
his true light. He looked after their comfort and well-being. He
sympathized with them in their predicaments. He understood them and
helped them out of many difficulties. When they broke rules he was as
merciful to them as it was possible to be, and whatever attitude he
assumed toward them was felt by them to be for their own good.
These were times when battles were won, not by the side that had the
greatest amount of shells and shock troops, but by those who displayed
a personal bravery, and Roosevelt fought in such a gallant manner that
those who had accused him of enlisting for personal motives soon grew
ashamed of their spitefulness.
Roosevelt was not given to profanity, but when there came times when
a soldier could only be handled by the use of language he knew, the
Colonel did not balk at using that language. It is said of him that
he once confessed to another officer in a repentant manner: “I swore
today.”
Then he made this explanation:
“A captain riding off in cool disregard of orders is enough to make
the sweetest-tempered archangel use ‘language.’ What I said, or rather
bellowed was: ‘What in ---- are you doing? Good ----, wheel into line!’
What I might have said was: ‘Really, my dear sir, do you not observe
that you are acting in direct opposition to my instructions? I beg that
you will not march your troop into Kamchatka.’ Well, one always thinks
afterward of what one might have said.”
[Illustration: COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD