The herald., 1898-09-22
MR.. RooSEvELT's FAREWELL
The Stirring Speech He made to Hi
Men at Camp Wikoh

Camp Wikoff.-The most impressive
service that have Witnessed during my
weeks sojourn In Camp Wikoff was that
in the Rough Riders camp Sunday. At
o'clock the bugle sounded church call. and
from the troop streets swarmed the troop
ers. They seated themselves on the ground
around the headquarters tent. 1t was a
sight long to be remembered-these hardy
men, fresh from their hardwon fights,
with the stain Of battle still upon them
Chaplain Brown Of the regiment opened
the service with an appropriate invocation
and all Joined in repeating the Lord S
prayer. Several hymns were sung. all
joining. Then Col. Roosevelt addressed
his men. He said:
II have waited this opportunity of
speaking to you before we parted. feel.
and l know you all feel, that We are knit
together by ties that can only be severed
by death. Our trials. our hardships, our
victories, we have all shared together Of
1icers and men. There has been no dis
tnction; we have all worked for and &C.
complished the glory of the regiment. The
men who were left back in Florida did
their duty as well as the men who went
to Cuba, and all did it without murmur.
'What we have done only calls us to re-
newed exertion in the future. know you
are not likely to simply rest on your lau-
rels. Life is a constant struggle and no
man can afford to remain idle. After the
first fight In Cuba you did not give up and
rest on what you had well done. On the
contrary, you had gotten in touch with
the Spaniards, and each one Of you had
registered a vow that no one should get
ahead Of him.
-S-tl
into your life when you seperate for your
homes. I want to feel that those of us
who at the end of twenty years can look
back will see that each member has rros-
pered has become a better man, a better
American; that we are capable in fighting
the battles of peace as of war.
1.-THE world will be kind to you for about
ten days; everything you do will be right.
After that you will be judged by stricter
CODE and If you prove worthless. you will
be considered as spoiled by going to war
Uncomplaining obedience, an acceptance
OF whatever came is one of the things that
has made me admire, respect and love you
all. 1t has been a perpetual pleasure to
me to see the way the officers and men
have stood shoulder to shoulder the off1c-
ers looking out for the interests Of the
men always. 1t has been illustrated in
the mastering out. 1t would have been
materially to the advantage of the officers
to have taken the sixty days leave and
mileage to their homes: but the men were
much better off to be mustered out ar once
and to receive travel pay. officer after
officer-to their honor be 1t said-came 10
me and told me to give the men the ad.
vantage, Irrespective of the officers inter-
ests. Another thing. No officer OF this
regiment ever asked men to go where he
would not go, or to share any privation he
was not willing to share. 1t was always
Come and not Co. II the officers had
rations or blankets the men had them;
there was absolutely no distinction.
II hope to have another opportuni of
seeing you together before we part
Should there be another war, shall en-
deavor to raise this regiment again. and
feel certain that for every vacancy there
will be ten, yes hundred, applicants.
You men have demonstrated to the world
that Uncle Sam has hundreds of Thousands
of men who are willing to form regiments
that are simply invincible.
"In closing I only want to say that fee
q love and attachment for each and every
one of you and that we are bourd to.
gether by ties that death alone can sever
During the address the colonel was con.
tinually interrupted by applause. The
whole regiment Joined in singing "Minc
Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming
Of the Lord" and were dismissed by. the
.haplain with blessing. The whole scene
was one that will long be remembered by
I'll who were fortunate enough to witness
t.-New York World