The times., 1898-06-27
FIGHTING AT THE FRONT.
The Splendid Pluck of ROOsevelt's
Rough Riders.


whether the regulations be of one or
another kind. The spectacied German
soldiers were Won Moltke's surest reii-
ance in 1870 The best troops in the
Southern army were the aristocratic
young planters sons. In the North the
sinew of the army was in the youth from
cities and farms. who were proud of their
standing at home and determined to
maintain their repute at all hazards.
"Rooseveit's rich young men may
safely be trusted TO give a good account
of themselves. not only in the lighting
but In the meaner work of the camp as
well. They are not of the sort that has
sought 'soft-snap' poses. es.'-I1ditorial in
The World, May Is. on 1.-The Dandies in
War"
That battle in the thlckets near Sc
vAla proved the true-blue courage of
Rooseyelt's Rough Riders. 1t showed
the sterling. rugged stuff beneath the
polished veneer of the New York so
clety man. When Il came 10 facing a
shower of bullets. he was the equal of
the piainsman the man of nerve but no
nerves. Great big, merry Ham Fish. pa
trician through and through. proved 1t
with his body torn to pieces by Mauser
bullets which burst into tiny fragments
when they strike their victim.
When the historian writes of the
Spanish-American war the First United
States Volunteer Cavalry will furnish
fruitful and conspicuous topic for his
pen No regiment in the worlds wars
has been quite the equal of il in address
of composition. Diverse 10 the border
men, il presents a splendid homogenrity
in the chief requisites of the soldier
courage TO the limit. a knowledge Of
weapons and horses. a daredevil hum
ger for danger. and, above all. mighty
notion that the genuine American can
lick anything on the face of the earth.
In many ways the regiment is an elab-
orate photograph OF the character OF its
founder, Theodore Roosevelt At odd
times he is a ranchman, hunter. politi-
clan. refOrmer, society man, athlete, lit
terateur and statesman. Only in his COM
plex brain, with its intense versatility,
could the idea Of forming such a regi-
ment have been born. But his wide
knowledge of the qualifications of the So
cial scale told him that the men he want
ed were resting upon every round of the
ladder. from the bottom 10 the top. He
knew that the Fifth Avenue clubman had
the genuine fighting stun in him as well
as the Dainsman who carried dozen
/ notches in his gun. 1t only needed oppor-
tunity To bring il out.
The day war was declared. back in
April. Col. Roosevelt determined TO form
/ ms regiment. His position as Assistant
/ Secretary OF the Navy hampered his pur-
] pose for awhile. The President did not
/ want him TO leave, but by the ist of May
I he had made arrangements for resigning,
and on May 6 ne retired and the same
! day was sworn in as lieutenant colonel of
( the regiment. He could have been colonel
/ Il h 50 wished. but he wanted position
| .aHr would take him into the thickest OF
! syery fight As Lieutenant colonel he eX
: ecates the orders Of the commander, and
/ Is actively engaged. Activity is Roose-
1 velt's long SUIT in life. He had his friend
| Col. Leonard Wood appointed to the COM
! mand, a man who had served ten years
! under Gen. Miles and other leaders in In
dian campaigns. and who is thoroughly
familiar with the kind of work designed
/ for the Rough Riders.
a week before Roosevelt left the Navy
| Department the regiment had been re-
| cruited to the limit at San Antonio. Tex.
| where Col Wood had encamDed. II
! there had been room for 900 men in the
/ regiment. instead Of less than a thou
| sand, there would have been no vacan-
cies. The two leading essentials for ad-
mission to the regiment We're that the
| candidates should know how TO ride and
shoot; not in an ordinary degree, but
| with expert skill.
| When Roosevelt's purpose to form a
/ regiment first became known applications
poured in from the gilded youth of New
l York; from the great universities and
many Of the large cities. These young
men did not seek positions of rank. All
they asked was the privilege of donning
the garb of private soldiers and to fight
for their country.
Men with millions I'm their own right
and others with millionaire fathers were
happy TO give up rose-tinted existence
to suffer hardship, hunger, dirt and in.
cessant work-with death in the imme
diate perspective.
A glance at the names of many of the
Rough Riders reads like an among-thOse
present list of a Fifth Avenue cotillior
or banquet New York is strongly repre-
scented; so are Harvard. Yale and Prince
ton OF the go officers and men in tn,
regiment. some 200 would, in their ordi
| nary dress. be classed as dudes.
Most of the New Workers are in Trool
| X. 1t is called the millionaire's company
| William Tiffany is a sergeant of the com
pany Just before he started for Texas
his engagement to Miss Maud Livingston
was announced. He is a boyish-looking
young fellow of about twenty-five. H'
is inordinately fond Of fine clothes an(
for some time bore the reputation of be
ing the best-dressed man among tht
smart set. He used to change his clothe!
four and five times day and otherwise
indulge his pet fancy. He is a granC
nephew Of the hero of Lake Erie, Admira
Oliver Hazard Perry, and a nephew of th'
late Mrs August Belmont His health
broke down half a dozen years ago anC
he was sent out to a Montana ranch L
recuperate. There he became a prOficien
| horseman and acquired the qualities
which made him a valuable member o
the Rough Riders.
Then there is Woodbury. Kane. of tht
famous New York family of that name
| and who is related to the Astors and the
| Chanlers. He is crack polo player anC
has hunted i'm England and this country
He is a fine sample of the gentleman
sportsman.
Craig Wadsworth is best known in New
York as a cotillon leader. but he tool
to the hard work of the Rough Rider:
easily and did not say a word when ht
was made to dig bitches around the Sar
Antonio camp after he first arrived
there. He is rattling cross country
rider and polo player and has hunted
game in all parts of the world.
Reginald Ronalds, Familiarity called
Reggie" is much the same style of mar
as Wadsworth. He is a descendant of the
first Pierre Lorillard, and his mother
Mrs. Pierre Lorillard Ronalds, who
moved to London some years ago, i:
prominent in the best society there. He i.
a good all-round horseman, has hunted
and ridden in races over the Jumps and i:
an expert at polo.
tiallett Alsop Borrowe is another mem.
Der OF the regiment. His wife is the
daughter of the late Austin Corbin. Mr.
Borrowe is a frst-rate horseman ant
| swordsman He was unfortunately con
cerned in the Coleman Drayton troubles.