The Irish standard., 1898-08-13

would apply for war service as soon as
nostllltles had actually begun. Though
President Mckinley and Secretary Long
were 10th to lose his valuable services
in the department. they acquiesced in
his decision. On May 6, 1898, he re-
signed to take charge as lieutenant
colonel under Col. Leonard Wood, U. S.
A. of the organization of the regiment
now known as "Roosevelt's Rough Rid
ers."
| Ten thousand applications for men,
bership in the new regiment are said to
have been refused before the final CON-
| plement of $50 men was attained The
men had to submit to rigid physical
and mental examination. They were
thoroughly trained and disciplined at
the camp in San Antonio, Tex, in all
the requisites of good soldiers. Their
personnel varied from the society favor
ties OF New York to the cowboys of the
plains.
F.: On May 20 they left San Antonio for
Tampa. where they Joined Skaters
army of invasion. In the gallant land
ing at Baiquiri on June 90. and in the
subsequent fighting which preceded the
fall Of Santiago. the Rough Riders were
distinguished for their courageous e1lic-
ency.
Wood and Roosevelt were selected for
special encomillm. The former was pro-
NOTED to the command of brigade, the
latter to Il coloEelcy. This left Roose-
welt in complete control of the regiment.
His splendid action at San Juan on ,Julv
was one of the most heroic achieve
ments III war conspicuously full Of
heroism. The cnly mounted man, and
consequently the most conspicuous OBJ
Ject for the bullets of the enemy, he
dashed ahead of his regiment up a hill.
captured blockhouse on the summit.
ana then, with 300 men, the scattered
fragments Of six dismounted cavalry reg
iments, drove the Spaniards from an
other hill on the right.
Few who saw Col Roosevelt take that
ride expected that he would come out of
1T alive. Such was the verdict of the
eye-witnesses
Col. Roosevelt has been twice married.
His first wife died in 1884, leaving him
an infant daughter. BY his second wife,
whom he married in 1885. he has had
two sons and two daughters His New
York residence is in Madison avenue.
But this is u rented house. His real
home is at Oyster bay. Long Island. 1t
contains fine library of historical
works, and is adorned by many relics of
the chase gathered in the West. His
interest as historian has not lain
solely in the West of the United States.
Among other books he has published
are: THE Naval War of 1872" 1s8D,
THE Life of Thomas H. Benton" lSS6),
''The Life of Gouverneur Morris" QSS7),
and The History of New York City
for Edward Freeman's series of "Hist-
toric Towns. In the latter book he
mainly addressed himself to foreign
readers. 1t is interesting, therefore, to
Gull an Illuminating passage which
points out the chief defect in the higher
social stratum in which lie himself was
born.
"A would-he upper class" he says,
based mainly on wealth, in which it
is the exception and not the rule for a
man to be Of any real account in the
national life, whether as politician or
literary man or otherwise, is of neces-
sity radically defective and of little
moment
May we not hold that it vas largely
to Theodore Roosevalt's influence that
so many young and ardent members of
the better classes have shown in the
present war that they do in II larger and
nobler sense belong to the better class
of chivalric American manhood?