Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-04-08
WOODS RECORD
IN CUBAN WAR
With Cleveland. Mckinley and
Poosevelt-Appointed Cover
nor of Santiago.
ey JOHN G HOLME,
Author of 1.-THE Life - Leonard Wood"

that Leonard Wood made his greatest
reputation as an athlete For two
years he coached the football team of
| the Georgia Institute of Technology
and played various positions. His
team lost hut one game during these
courage is illustrated by a football in
cident He received a deep cut over
the eye in a scrimmage one day Dress
ing the injury hastily, he finished the
game, then went over to his Office
where, standing before a mirror, he
sterilized the wound and took four
stitches in it.
Cleveland was finishing his second
term when Wood was assigned to
Washington, where he became one of
the White House physicians. The pres
ident took an immediate liking to this
J brOnzcd, quiet army officer who knew
! the Southwest like an open book
Cleveland liked to talk with him about
hunting and fishing and especially
about Buzzard's Bay off Cape Cod,
where they both had sailed and fished.
Wood and Roosevelt Meet.
In those days changes in the admin
istration did not affect Wood, land when
Mckinley became President his visits
to the White House increased in mum.
Der, for Mrs. Mckinley was an invalid,
requiring constant medical attention
President Mckinley soon grew to re-
gard the competent army surgeon as
highly as had his predecessor
In 1896 Leonard Wood, who now held
the rank Of Captain In the Army,
medical side, met Theodore Roosevelt,
then Assistant Secretary Of the Navy.
They were introduced at reception
in Washington, and before the evening
was over they had become fast friends.
| This friendship was to last till the
great American passed away at Saga
more Hill. They discovered that they
had just missed each other al Harvard,
that they had both had the western fe-
yer and that their likes and dislikss
were remarkably similar
General Wood today admits that 1t
was Roosevelt who kept him In ths
service when he was about to resign 10
take up ranching in the West Roose-
welt insisted that tho country would
soon need man Of his ability, and the
two began planning their course of &C.
ton should war be declared. They had
virtually planned raising regiment of
picked men before diplomatic relations
with Spain were severed When Con-
gress authorized the raising of three
regiments among the cowboys, miners
and ranchers Of the West Wood secur-
ed commission as Colonel Of the First
Volunteer Cavalry and Roosevelt as
Lieutenant Colonel.
! War was declared April 26, 1898, and
on May 20 the First Cavalry, better
known as the Rough Riders, left the
training camp at San Antonio, Tex,
for Port Tampa, Fla, to embark for
Cuba. Wood and Roosevelt had re-
crnited, drilled. differed and equipped
the Rough Riders in SO days, counting
Sundays. 1t was a great record Of
speed and efficiency.
Promoted on the Field.
In order to make this record Wood
cut through quantities Of red tape In
the War Department. He could not
get regulation uniforms, SO he had his
men wear brown canvas working uni.
forms, not 30 neat, but much more
practical in a tropical climate. He
foresaw that his cavalry would have TO
serve unmounted, so he secured Krag
rifles at a time when Krags were
scarce. He had no time to train his
men in the use Of sabers, so he ordered
machetes, the instruments used for cut
ting sugar cane. He got these impls-
ments from the New England factory
which made them for the Cuban sugar
fields. The Rough Riders landed in
Cuba June % under the protection of
shell fire from American warships On
June "a the battle Of Las Guasimas
took place. The Rough Riders and
their commander SO distinguished
themselves as to win the cOmmenda-
ton Of Major General Fighting Joe"
Wheeler, in command of the cavalry;
Brigadier General S. B. NJ. Young and
others. When General Young went
down with the fever Wood was advanc-
cd In rank to Ali the vacancy, while
Roosevelt was placed in full command
Of the Rough Riders.
Santiago surrendered on July IT, and
General Shafter, commanding the ex-
pedltionary forces, selected Wood as
military governor Of the city This
was the great turning point in Woods
life. For IS years he had been an
army SURGEON and officer. For the next
10 years he was to play q most i'm.
portant role in American history as
government executive, administrator
statesman and diplomat
Shafter chose Wood for the military
governorship of Santiago because OF
the remarkable efficiency and execu
tive ability he had shown in organizing
the Rough Riders and in the short but
dangerous campaign In the jungle he
Fnro tho foil IF tho pity TTn pbocp