The Battle of San Juan Hill - Jul 01, 1898 - HISTORY.com The Battle of San Juan Hill Share this: The Battle of San Juan Hill Author The Battle of San Juan Hill URL Publisher A+E Networks As part of their campaign to capture Spanish-held Santiago de Cuba on the southern coast of Cuba, the U.S. Army Fifth Corps engages Spanish forces at El Caney and San Juan Hill. In May 1898, one month after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, a Spanish fleet docked in the Santiago de Cuba harbor after racing across the Atlantic from Spain. A superior U.S. naval force arrived soon after and blockaded the harbor entrance. In June, the U.S. Army Fifth Corps landed on Cuba with the aim of marching to Santiago and launching a coordinated land and sea assault on the Spanish stronghold. Included among the U.S. ground troops were the Theodore Roosevelt-led “Rough Riders,” a collection of Western cowboys and Eastern blue bloods officially known as the First U.S. Voluntary Cavalry. The U.S. Army Fifth Corps fought its way to Santiago’s outer defenses, and on July 1 U.S.

General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill. Hundreds fell under Spanish gunfire before reaching the base of the heights, where the force split up into two flanks to take San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. The Rough Riders were among the troops in the right flank attacking Kettle Hill. When the order was given by Lieutenant John Miley that “the heights must be taken at all hazards,” the Rough Riders, who had been forced to leave their horses behind because of transportation difficulties, led the charge up the hills. The Rough Riders and the black soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were the first up Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill was taken soon after. From the crest, the Americans found themselves overlooking Santiago, and the next day they began a siege of the city.

On July 3, the Spanish fleet was destroyed off Santiago by U.S. warships under Admiral William Sampson, and on July 17 the Spanish surrendered the city–and thus Cuba–to the Americans. Related Videos Buffalo Soldiers and the Spanish-American War - Presidio of San Francisco (U.S. National Park Service) Buffalo Soldiers and the Spanish-American War Buffalo Soldier regiments charge up San Juan Hill, Cuba on July 1, 1898. Robert Bowen Collection On February 15th, 1898, over 250 American sailors were killed when the battleship Maine blew up and sank in Havana harbor. The war with Spain began in April, 1898 when Major General William Shafter, a former commander of the 24th Infantry led an expeditionary force of over 17,000 men, including nearly 3,000 Black regulars, into Cuba. (11) Although the Spanish American War was ostensibly fought to liberate Caribbean and Philippine islanders from Spanish oppression, the participation of African American troops was very controversial in the African American community. Some troops and many citizens openly questioned whether African Americans should fight for the U.S.

government that recognized them as citizens in name only. Despite emancipation nearly 40-year before, Blacks routinely were deprived of their rights by federal and state laws. Instituional discrimination was reinforced by savage murder and terror of African Americans primarily in the South. Articles in the Black press during the war showed a diversity of opinion in the African American community. Editorials Against Fighting "If the Government Wants Our Services, Let Us Demand Protection at Home" If the government wants our support and services, let us demand and get a guarantee for our safety and protection at home....When we are guaranteed freedom and equality before the law, as other American citizens, then we will have the right, as such, to take up arms in defense of our country. -- The Indianapolis Freeman, March 18, 1898 Part of a quote from a Hartford Connecticut dispatch "No Officers, No Fight!" There is no American citizen upon this continent who possesses any more patriotism than what we do. But if we had the power we would not permit one Negro battalion or company or regiment to assist in helping to fight against Spain unless they are officered from top to bottom by members of our own race.

-- Salt Lake City Broad Ax, July 2, 1898 The Army did not want Black officers during the war, creating a major contention with the African American community Editorials For Fighting "What if War Comes" Of all citizens the Afro-American has a mighty interest at stake.... [since our] fondest and most cherished hopes for liberty and happiness are all centered in the institutions of our country....let us be ready and willing to do....even more than others in the hour of the nation's peril. Thus shall be reaffirmed our claims to equal liberty and protection. -- Cleveland Gazette, March 5, 1898 "War Has Been Declared by the United States Against Spain" The wisdom of it is questioned. However, all loyal citizens must do their duty. -- Richmond Planet, April 30, 1898; just after war was declared Source: George P. Marks, III, The Black Press Views American Imperialism (1898-1900), Arno Press and the New York Times, New York, 1971 In order to prepare for the invasion of Cuba, the Buffalo Soldiers were posted to the southeastern United States for the first time in their history.

Originally billeted near Tampa, Florida, where overt racial discrimination was the norm, local white citizens refused "to make any distinction between the colored troops and the colored civilians" and tolerated no infractions of local discriminatory laws and racial customs. Despite this prejudice, the troops of the 9th and 10th Cavalry, and the 24th and 25th Infantry served with distinction on the battlefields of Las Guasimas, El Caney, and San Juan Hill. (12) The terrain and climate were challenging. Troops had to deal with heat, rainstorms, mud and yellow fever. When there was an outbreak of yellow fever in the army camps, Black 24th Infantry soldiers served as nurses and hospital orderlies for the stricken Caucasian troops, ordered to do so because of the stereotype that Blacks were physically better able to deal with tropical heat conditions. (13) Credit: Library of Congress In four months of fighting the Spanish under these adverse conditions, the Buffalo Soldiers were described as "most gallant and soldierly." (14) During one landing at Tayabacoa, Cuba, 10th Cavalry Privates William H.

Thompkins , Fitz Lee, Dennis Bell, and George Wanton voluntarily went ashore in the face enemy fire to rescue wounded U.S. and Cuban comrades. After several failed attempts, they succeeded. Each were awarded the Medal of Honor. (15) A career soldier, Thompkins was eventually buried at the Presidio's San Francisco National Cemetery, along with another 450 Black veterans of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry. Called the most integrated battle force of the 19th century, the troops of the 24th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry fought up the slope of San Juan Hill along with White regular army regiments and the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders) led by Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. Twenty-six Buffalo Soldiers died that day, and several men were officially recognized for their bravery. Quarter Master Sergeant Edward L. Baker, Jr., 10th Cavalry emerged from the battle wounded by shrapnel, but was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

(16) After the Battle of San Juan Hill, Rough Rider Frank Knox said, "I never saw braver men anywhere." Lieutenant John J.

Pershing wrote, "They fought their way into the hearts of the American people." (17) Theodore Roosevelt commented "… no one can tell whether it was the Rough Riders or the men of the 9th who came forward with the greater courage to offer their lives in the service of their country." (18) Despite this praise, incredibly Colonel Roosevelt later wrote: "Negro troops were shirkers in their duties and would only go as far as they were led by white officers." Tenth Cavalry Trooper, Presley Holliday wrote in response, "His (Roosevelt's) statement was uncalled for and uncharitable, and considering the moral and physical effect the advance of the 10th Cavalry had in weakening the forces opposed to the Colonel's regiment, both at Las Guasima and San Juan Hill, altogether ungrateful and has done us an immeasurable lot of harm…not every troop or company of colored soldiers who took part in the assaults was led or urged forward by a white officer." (19) Many African Americans felt the deeds of the soldiers in the battles of Cuba, and later in the Philippines would perhaps lead to "a new era for the Negro race" in obtaining equal rights

 and privilege as Americans.

They honored the soldiers' valor and service to the United States with books, pictures, orations, poems and editorials. One newspaper editor stated the general feeling of African Americans, "we are proud of our colored troops, the heroes of the day." (20) The Rough Riders Storm San Juan Hill, 1898 The Rough Riders Storm San Juan Hill, 1898 The charge up an obscure Cuban hill on July, 1 1898 was a pivotal point in Theodore Roosevelt's political career. When war broke with Spain in April of that year, Roosevelt was serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He Teddy Roosevelt in his Rough Riders uniform, 1898 immediately quit his position and helped form a regiment of volunteers. The "Rough Riders" enlisted cowboys and college men led by Roosevelt under the command of Leonard Wood. They arrived in Cuba in time to take part in the Battle of San Juan Hill. America's conflict with Spain was later described as a "splendid little war" and for Theodore Roosevelt it certainly was. His combat experience consisted of one week's campaign with one day of hard fighting.

"The charge itself was great fun" he declared, and "Oh, but we had a bully fight." His actions during the battle earned a recommendation for the Congressional Medal of Honor but politics intervened and the request was denied. The rejection crushed Roosevelt. As though in consolation, the notoriety from the charge up San Juan Hill was instrumental in propelling him to the governorship of New York in 1899. The following year Roosevelt was selected to fill the Vice Presidential spot in President McKinley's successful run for a second term. With McKinley's assassination in September 1901, Roosevelt became President. In the confusion surrounding their departure from Tampa, half the members of the Rough Riders were left behind along with all their horses. The volunteers made the charge up San Juan Hill on foot. They were joined in the attack by the 10th (Negro) Cavalry. The 10th never received the glory for the charge that the Rough Riders did, but one of their commanders - Captain "Black Jack" Pershing (who later commanded American troops in World War I) - was awarded the Silver Star.

"Roosevelt...made you feel like you would like to cheer." Richard Harding Davis was a reporter who observed the charge up San Juan Hill. We join his account as American forces have massed at the bottom of the hill - the Spanish entrenched in a dominate position on its top. Behind the Americans, advancing troops have clogged the roads preventing an escape. The Americans appear to be stymied - unwilling to move forward and unable to retreat. Suddenly, Theodore Roosevelt emerges on horseback from the surrounding woods and rallies the men to charge: ADVERTISMENT "Colonel Roosevelt, on horseback, broke from the woods behind the line of the Ninth, and finding its men lying in his way, shouted: 'If you don't wish to go forward, let my men pass, please.' The junior officers of the Ninth, with their Negroes, instantly sprang into line with the Rough Riders, and charged at the blue block-house on the right. I speak of Roosevelt first because, with General Hawkins, who led Kent's division, notably the Sixth and Sixteenth Regulars, he was, without doubt, the most conspicuous figure in the charge.

General Hawkins, with hair as white as snow, and yet far in advance of men thirty years his junior, was so noble a sight that you felt inclined to pray for his safety; on the other hand, Roosevelt, mounted high on horseback, and charging the rifle-pits at a gallop and quite alone, made you feel that you would like to cheer. He wore on his sombrero a blue polka-dot handkerchief, a la Havelock, which, as he advanced, floated out straight behind his head, like a guidon. Afterward, the men of his regiment who followed this flag, adopted a polka-dot handkerchief as the badge of the Rough Riders. These two officers were notably conspicuous in the charge, but no one can claim that any two men, or anyone man, was more brave or more daring, or showed greater courage in that slow, stubborn advance than did any of the others. . . . I think the thing which impressed one the most, when our men started from cover, was that they were so few. It seemed as if someone had made an awful and terrible mistake. One's instinct was to call them to come back.

You felt that someone had blundered and that these few men were blindly following out some madman's mad order. It was not heroic then, it seemed merely terribly pathetic. The pity of it, the folly of such a sacrifice was what held you. They had no glittering bayonets, they were not massed in regular array. There were a few men in advance, bunched together, and creeping up a steep, sunny hill, the top of which roared and flashed with flame. The men held their guns pressed across their breasts and stepped heavily as they climbed. Behind these first few, spreading out like a fan, were single lines of men, slipping and scrambling in the smooth grass, moving forward with difficulty, as though they were wading waist high through water, moving slowly, carefully, with strenuous effort. It was much more wonderful than any swinging charge could have been. They walked to greet death at every step, many of them, as they advanced, sinking suddenly or pitching forward and disappearing in the high grass, but the others' waded on, stubbornly, forming a thin blue line that kept creeping higher and higher up the hill. It was as inevitable as the rising tide.

It was a miracle of self-sacrifice, a triumph of bulldog courage, which one watched breathless with wonder. The fire of the Spanish riflemen, who still stuck bravely to their posts, doubled and trebled in fierceness, the crests of Roosevelt (center) and the Rough Riders celebrate at the top of San Juan Hill the hills crackled and burst in amazed roars, and rippled with waves of tiny flame. But the blue line crept steadily up and on, and then, near the top, the broken fragments gathered together with a sudden burst of speed, the Spaniards appeared for a moment outlined against the sky and poised for instant flight, fired a last volley and fled before the swift-moving wave that leaped and sprang up after them. The men of the Ninth and the Rough Riders rushed to the blockhouse together, the men of the Sixth, of the Third, of the Tenth Cavalry, of the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry, fell on their faces along the crest of the hills beyond, and opened upon the vanishing enemy.

They drove the yellow silk flags of the cavalry and the Stars and Stripes of their country into the soft earth of the trenches, and then sank down and looked back at the road they had climbed and swung their hats in the air. And from far overhead, from these few figures perched on the Spanish rifle-pits, with their flags planted among the empty cartridges of the enemy, and overlooking the walls of Santiago, came, faintly, the sound of a tired, broken cheer." References: Davis, Richard Harding, The Cuban and Porto Rican Campaigns (1898); Freidel, Frank, The Splendid Little War (1958); Morris Edmund, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (1979). How To Cite This Article: "The Rough Riders Storm San Juan Hill, 1898," EyeWitness to History, (2004). The victory at San Juan Hill gave the Americans control of the heights overlooking the Spanish stronghold of Santiago and doomed the Spanish to defeat in Cuba.

Battle of San Juan Hill - Spanish-American War History 15,000 men, 4,000 guerillas, 12 guns, 4 Gatling guns Spanish 800 men, 5 guns Battle of San Juan Hill - Background: After landing in late June at Daiquirí and Siboney, Major General William Shafter's US V Corps pushed west towards the port of Santiago de Cuba. After fighting an indecisive clash at Las Guasimas on June 24, Shafter prepared to assault the heights around the city. While 3,000-4,000 Cuban insurgents, under General Calixto García Iñiguez blocked the roads to the north and prevented the city from being reinforced, the Spanish commander, General Arsenio Linares, elected to spread his 10,429 garrison across Santiago's defenses rather than focus against the American threat. Battle of San Juan Hill - The American Plan: Meeting with his division commanders, Shafter instructed Brigadier General Henry W. Lawton to take his 2nd Division north to capture the Spanish strong point at El Caney.

Claiming that he could take the town in two hours, Shafter told him to do so then return south to join in the attack on the San Juan Heights. While Lawton was assaulting El Caney, Brigadier General Jacob Kent would advance towards the heights with the 1st Division, while Major General Joseph Wheeler's Cavalry Division would deploy to the right. Upon returning from El Caney, Lawton was to form on Wheeler's right and the entire line would attack. As the operation moved forward, both Shafter and Wheeler fell ill. Unable to lead from the front, Shafter directed operation from his headquarters via his aides and telegraph. Moving forward early on July 1, 1898, Lawton commenced his attack on El Caney around 7:00 AM. To the south, Shafter's aides established a command post atop El Pozo Hill and American artillery rolled into place. Below, the Cavalry Division, fighting dismounted due to a lack of horses, moved forward across the Aguadores River towards their jumping off point. With Wheeler disabled, it was led by Brigadier General Samuel Sumner.

Battle of San Juan Hill - Fighting Begins: Pushing forward, American troops experienced harassing fire from Spanish snipers and skirmishers. Around 10:00 AM, the guns on El Pozo opened fire on the San Juan Heights. Reaching the San Juan River, the cavalry waded across, turned right, and began forming their lines. Behind the cavalry, the Signal Corps launched a balloon which spotted another trail that could be used by Kent's infantry. While the bulk of Brigadier General Hamilton Hawkins' 1st Brigade had passed the new trail, Colonel Charles A. Wikoff's brigade was diverted to it. Encountering Spanish snipers, Wikoff was mortally wounded. In short order, the next two officers in line to lead the brigade were lost and command devolved to Lieutenant Colonel Ezra P. Ewers. Arriving to support Kent, Ewers men fell into line, followed by Colonel E.P. Pearson's 2nd Brigade which took a position on the extreme left and also provided the reserve. For Hawkins, the objective of the assault was a blockhouse atop the heights, while the cavalry was to capture a lower rise, Kettle Hill, before attacking San Juan.

Though American forces were in position to attack, the did not advance as Shafter was awaiting Lawton's return from El Caney. Suffering through intense tropical heat, the Americans were taking casualties from Spanish fire. As men were hit, parts of the San Juan River valley were dubbed "Hell's Pocket" and "Bloody Ford." Among those irritated by the inaction was Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, commanding the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry (The Rough Riders). After absorbing enemy fire for some time, Lieutenant Jules G. Ord of Hawkins' staff asked his commander for permission to lead the men forward. Battle of San Juan Hill - The Americans Strike: After some discussion, a cautious Hawkins relented and Ord led the brigade into the attack supported by a battery of Gatling guns. Having been rallied to the field by the sound of the guns, Wheeler officially gave Kent the order to attack before returning to the cavalry and telling Sumner and his other brigader commander, Brigadier General Leonard Wood, to advance. Moving forward, Sumner's men formed the first line, while Wood's (including Roosevelt) comprised the second. Pushing forward, the lead cavalry units reached a road halfway up Kettle Hill and paused.

Pushing on, several officers, including Roosevelt called for a charge, surged forward, and overran the positions on Kettle Hill. Consolidating their position, the cavalry provided supporting fire to the infantry which were moving up the heights towards the blockhouse. Reaching the foot of the heights, Hawkins and Ewers' men discovered that the Spanish had erred and placed their trenches on the topographical rather than military crest of the hill. As a result, they were unable to see or shoot at the attackers. Scrambling up the steep terrain, the infantry paused near the crest, before pouring over and driving out the Spanish. Leading the attack, Ord was killed as entered the trenches. Swarming around the blockhouse, American troops finally captured it after entering through the roof. Falling back the Spanish occupied a secondary line of trenches to rear. Arriving on the field, Pearson's men moved forward and secured a small hill on the American left flank. Atop Kettle Hill, Roosevelt attempted to lead an attack forward against San Juan, but was followed by only five men. Returning to his lines, he met with Sumner and was given permission to take the men forward.

Storming forward, the cavalrymen, including the African-American "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 9th and 10th Cavalry, broke through lines of barbed wire and cleared the heights to their front. Many sought to pursue the enemy to Santiago and had to be recalled. Commanding the extreme right of the American line, Roosevelt was soon reinforced by infantry and repulsed a half-hearted Spanish counterattack. Battle of San Juan Hill - Aftermath: The storming of the San Juan Heights cost the Americans 205 killed and 1,180 wounded, while the Spanish, fighting on the defensive, lost only 58 dead, 170 wounded, and 39 captured. Concerned that the Spanish could shell the heights from the city, Shafter initially ordered Wheeler to fall back. Assessing the situation, Wheeler instead ordered the men to entrench and be prepared to hold the position against attack. The capture of the heights compelled the Spanish fleet in the harbor to attempt a breakout on July 3, which led to their defeat at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba . American and Cuban forces next began a siege of the city which finally fell on July 17. Selected Sources Rough Riders: Col.

Theodore Roosevelt's 1st Volunteer Cavalry - Roosevelt Almanac See Full Size Image Military Service Theodore Roosevelt joined the New York National Guard on 1 August 1882. T.R. was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, B Company, 8th Regiment. T.R. was promoted to Captain, and resigned his commission in 1886. The National Guard Association's most prestigious award is the Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers The Rough Riders : A Brief History On May 6, 1898, Theodore Roosevelt resigned his post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and volunteered to head a cavalry unit that would fight in Cuba against Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898. This cavalry unit eventually came to be known as "Roosevelt's Rough Riders". Volunteers were assembled from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Indian Territory and included cowboys, gamblers, hunters, prospectors, Buffalo soldiers, college boys, and Native Americans. The term "Rough Riders" was adapted from Buffalo Bill's famous rodeo show called "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World". Theodore Roosevelt was commissioned as a Lt.

Colonel in command of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry, a unit part of the 1st Cavalry Bridage that was commanded by Colonel Leonard Wood. The Rough Riders trained at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Although the official uniform was a slouch hat with a blue flannel shirt, brown trousers & leggings, boots, and polka-dot handkerchiefs, Theodore Roosevelt nevertheless had his uniform tailored by Brooks Brothers in Boston. The Rough Riders (1060 soldiers and 1258 horses & mules) departed San Antonio on May 29, 1898, via the Southern Pacific Railroad and headed toward Tampa, Florida to await eventual embarkation to Cuba. The unit was bivouacked on the grounds of the Tampa Bay Hotel, currently the site of Plant Hall on the campus of the University of Tampa. On June 8, 1898, the Rough Riders boarded the ship Yucatan and began to disembark at Daiquiri, Cuba on June 22, 1898. The Rough Riders fought gallantly throught the Battle of San Juan Heights, losing 5 officers and 95 enlisted men.

After the armistice, the Rough Riders returned to the U.S. and disembarked at Montauk Point, New York, on August 14, 1898. The unit was disbanded on September 15, 1898. The Battle of San Juan Hill On July 1, 1898, the Rough Riders were ordered to engage 760 Spanish soldiers defending the San Juan Heights. The battle that made T.R. famous was actually fought on Kettle Hill, and below is a point-by-point account of the battle. The numerals on the text description correspond to the numerals on the map below: I : 13:00 hrs After taking heavy casualties for almost two hours, the situation facing the troops and Rough Riders is not improving. A gathering of senior officers meeting behind the Bloody Ford decides that San Juan Heights should be assaulted immediately, to avoid further needless casualties. Messages ordering the assault are immediately sent down the line of troops and Rough Riders. II and III : 13:05 hrs Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders are in reserve facing the Spanish outlying position on Kettle Hill.

He orders the regiment forward, and troopers from other cavalry regiments deployed in front of them join in the charge. To the left of the charging Rough Riders, the rest of the American line is also moving forward, heading for San Juan Hill. IV : 13:15 hrs Although the main attack on San Juan Hill is pinned down in the open by the withering Spanish fire, the Rough Riders charging Kettle Hill reach the crest. The outnumbered Spanish defenders retreat back down the other side, heading for the safety of the Heights behind them. With this forward position in Rough Rider hands, the right flank of the advance is secure. V : 13:20 hrs Fire support from Lt. Parker's four Gatling guns, positioned in front of the Bloody Ford, pins down the Spanish defenders around the blockhouse on San Juan Hill. Further supporting fire comes from the Rough Riders on Kettle Hill. VI and VII : 13:30 hrs Lt. Ord of Gen. Hawkin's Brigade leaps up and leads a renewed charge up Kettle Hill. Once across the open ground, the assaulting troops are protected from Spanish fire by the crest of Kettle Hill itself. As they near the summit the supporting fire ceases.

The Americans crest the hill and storm the defences around the blockhouse. Although many defenders have fled, a few remain to contest their position. Lt. Ord is killed as he jumps over the Spanish trench in front of the blockhouse. Within minutes the defenders are overwhelmed: many retreat, including the wounded Gen. Linares, who has come to observe the battle. The blockhouse is now in American hands. VIII : 13:35 hrs Theodore Roosevelt on Kettle Hill pleads with his superiors to be allowed to continue the assault against the northern part of San Juan Heights. Gen. Sumner assents, and Roosevelt leads around 500 assorted Rough Riders and cavalrymen down the hill and up the ridge beyond. Fire support is provided from the remaining Rough Riders and cavalrymen on Kettle Hill. After a brief resistance, the Rough Riders capture the ridge: all of the Heights are now held by American troops. IX : 13:50 hrs The American troops lining San Juan Heights are now in a precarious position. Subjected to increasing fire from the Spanish defending Santiago, they try to dig in as best they can.

The exchange of fire will continue for the rest of the day, but the Heights are to remain securely in American hands. We thank Osprey Publishing for their generous permission to reprint this map taken from pages 74 and 75 of Angus Konstam's San Juan Hill 1898: America's Emergence as a World Power Osprey Military Campaign Series #57 © Copyright Chapultepec, Inc. 1999- Roosevelt's Rough Ride Led to Montauk - The New York Times The New York Times N.Y. / Region |Roosevelt's Rough Ride Led to Montauk Search Roosevelt's Rough Ride Led to Montauk By DUAYNE DRAFFEN Continue reading the main story Theodore Roosevelt's name immediately conjures up several places: San Juan Hill, Cuba; Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay; New York City, and Washington. But there's another Roosevelt stomping ground, one that most Long Islanders are probably unaware of: Camp Wikoff, Montauk.

That's where 100 years ago this summer, a camp became the temporary home for Roosevelt's Rough Riders and more than 20,000 other soldiers of the Army's Fifth Corps, quarantined after fighting the Spanish in Cuba. Their stay at the huge camp, which was spread over most of Montauk, lasted from mid-August to late October, 1898, while the men recovered from battle wounds, yellow fever, malaria and typhoid. As was typical of wars of that era, more soldiers were felled by disease, poor medical care and bad food than by enemy bullets. In Cuba, the heat, abundant mosquitoes and poor sanitary conditions took a harsh toll. Continue reading the main story After his legendary exploits with the Rough Riders' charge up San Juan Hill, outside Santiago de Cuba, and the Spanish surrender soon afterward, Roosevelt was determined to get his suffering soldiers home quickly. In fact, he openly criticized the War Department for delaying the withdrawal of the soldiers. Already a national hero, Roosevelt became even more popular for his outspokenness. He arrived with the first troops on the transport ship Miami, which docked in mid-August at Fort Pond Bay, where today stands the -- what else?

-- Rough Riders Landing condominium complex, which will be dedicating a plaque in honor of Roosevelt on Saturday. (Other organizations are also marking the centennial of the camp.) Advertisement Continue reading the main story The Montauk camp was named in honor of Col. Charles A. Wikoff, commander of the 22d United States Infantry, who was the first officer killed in the Cuban campaign. The tents (along with a few wooden buildings) extended from Second House (an 18th-century building and the second house built in Montauk), on the western edge, to Third House (the third house built there) in what is now Montauk County Park, and south from Block Island Sound to Ditch Plain. Initially, conditions in the camp were little better than those the soldiers encountered in Cuba. Erected hastily, the camp had inadequate housing, food and medical facilities for the weakened men. Secretary of War Russell Alger was blamed by the newspapers for the condition of the camp as well as for the poor care of the troops in Cuba. The public outcry prompted President William McKinley to create a special commission to investigate the conduct of the War Department.

By September, after the building of two hospitals and a power plant to supply electricity, the situation at Camp Wikoff had greatly improved. Arriving on the Long Island Rail Road, McKinley visited the camp on Sept. 3 to show his approval. Once the danger of spreading disease had passed, the soldiers headed home. But despite the improvement in conditions, by the time the camp had closed on Oct. 28, 1898, about 300 men had died there. In addition to the Rough Riders, other notable units at Camp Wikoff included the all-black troops of the 9th and 10th Cavalry units. These ''Buffalo Soldiers,'' fresh from the Indian wars, had taken part in the attack on San Juan Hill alongside Roosevelt's First United States Voluntary Cavalry Regiment. Although he didn't have to, Roosevelt made a point of staying with his men at Camp Wikoff during their quarantine. He did make occasional visits to his Sagamore Hill home, to see his wife and children. He also made a few trips to New York City to lay the groundwork for his successful run for governor later that year.

In fact, it was during his stay at the camp that Roosevelt's gubernatorial ambitions began, when he accepted an invitation from the state Republican leader, Thomas C. Platt, a United States Senator, to run for the office. Like many other established politicians, Platt distrusted Roosevelt's reform tendencies but needed a strong candidate. Roosevelt overcame large political odds by campaigning tirelessly and using his recent war service to full advantage. He won by a small majority, beginning a political career that would culminate in the Presidency three years later, after McKinley's assassination. By then, Roosevelt had become known universally as ''Teddy,'' a name he hated but endured for its public-relations value. Suffolk County and several local Montauk organizations are planning to make the most of the centennial of the Roosevelt visit, with exhibits and activities commemorating the Rough Riders. On Saturday at Rough Riders Landing, James Foote, a professional actor who impersonates Roosevelt, will dedicate the memorial plaque, which will be affixed to a boulder on the front lawn of Edgemere Street. Third House, where Roosevelt lived during his stay, has just opened a museum that includes an exhibit of photographs of the Rough Riders at Camp Wikoff. On Sept.

5 and 6 at Deep Hollow Ranch, on whose grounds many of the soldiers bivouacked in 1898, hundreds of men dressed in period uniforms of the American and Spanish soldiers will reenact key battles of the war. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The county will also sponsor its own reenactments on Sept. 18-20, a celebration that will include a parade down Main Street on the 19th. A book about the experience, ''Bully! -- Col. Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point, N.Y., 1898,'' is being published this month by Pushcart Press and the Montauk Historical Society. Written by Jeff Heatley of Cutchogue, it is a compilation of newspaper articles, letters and illustrations that reveal another bond between Roosevelt and Long Island. San Juan Hill San Juan Hill The Rough Riders Storm San Juan Hill, 1898. The charge up an obscure Cuban hill on July, 1 1898 was a pivotal point in Theodore Roosevelt's political career. When war broke with Spain in April of that year, Roosevelt was serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

He immediately quit his position and helped form a regiment of volunteers. The "Rough Riders" enlisted cowboys and college men led by Roosevelt under the command of Leonard Wood. They arrived in Cuba in time to take part in the Battle of San Juan Hill. America's conflict with Spain was later described as a "splendid little war" and for Theodore Roosevelt it certainly was. His combat experience consisted of one week's campaign with one day of hard fighting. "The charge itself was great fun" he declared, and "Oh, but we had a bully fight." His actions during the battle earned a recommendation for the Congressional Medal of Honor but politics intervened and the request was denied. The rejection crushed Roosevelt. As though in consolation, the notoriety from the charge up San Juan Hill was instrumental in propelling him to the governorship of New York in 1899. The following year Roosevelt was selected to fill the Vice Presidential spot in President McKinley's successful run for a second term. With McKinley's assassination in September 1901, Roosevelt became President. In the confusion surrounding their departure from Tampa, half the members of the Rough Riders were left behind along with all their horses. The volunteers made the charge up San Juan Hill on foot.

They were joined in the attack by the 10th (Negro) Cavalry. The 10th never received the glory for the charge that the Rough Riders did, but one of their commanders - Captain "Black Jack" Pershing (who later commanded American troops in World War I) - was awarded the Silver Star. "Roosevelt...made you feel like you would like to cheer." Richard Harding Davis was a reporter who observed the charge up San Juan Hill. We join his account as American forces have massed at the bottom of the hill - the Spanish entrenched in a dominate position on its top. Behind the Americans, advancing troops have clogged the roads preventing an escape. The Americans appear to be stymied - unwilling to move forward and unable to retreat.

Suddenly, Theodore Roosevelt emerges on horseback from the surrounding woods and rallies the men to charge: "Colonel Roosevelt, on horseback, broke from the woods behind the line of the Ninth, and finding its men lying in his way, shouted: 'If you don't wish to go forward, let my men pass, please.' The junior officers of the Ninth, with their Negroes, instantly sprang into line with the Rough Riders, and charged at the blue block-house on the right. I speak of Roosevelt first because, with General Hawkins, who led Kent's division, notably the Sixth and Sixteenth Regulars, he was, without doubt, the most conspicuous figure in the charge. General Hawkins, with hair as white as snow, and yet far in advance of men thirty years his junior, was so noble a sight that you felt inclined to pray for his safety; on the other hand, Roosevelt, mounted high on horseback, and charging the rifle-pits at a gallop and quite alone, made you feel that you would like to cheer. He wore on his sombrero a blue polka-dot handkerchief, a la Havelock, which, as he advanced, floated out straight behind his head, like a guidon.

Afterward, the men of his regiment who followed this flag, adopted a polka-dot handkerchief as the badge of the Rough Riders. These two officers were notably conspicuous in the charge, but no one can claim that any two men, or anyone man, was more brave or more daring, or showed greater courage in that slow, stubborn advance than did any of the others. . . . I think the thing which impressed one the most, when our men started from cover, was that they were so few. It seemed as if someone had made an awful and terrible mistake. One's instinct was to call them to come back. You felt that someone had blundered and that these few men were blindly following out some madman's mad order. It was not heroic then, it seemed merely terribly pathetic. The pity of it, the folly of such a sacrifice was what held you. They had no glittering bayonets, they were not massed in regular array. There were a few men in advance, bunched together, and creeping up a steep, sunny hill, the top of which roared and flashed with flame. The men held their guns pressed across their breasts and stepped heavily as they climbed.

Behind these first few, spreading out like a fan, were single lines of men, slipping and scrambling in the smooth grass, moving forward with difficulty, as though they were wading waist high through water, moving slowly, carefully, with strenuous effort. It was much more wonderful than any swinging charge could have been. They walked to greet death at every step, many of them, as they advanced, sinking suddenly or pitching forward and disappearing in the high grass, but the others' waded on, stubbornly, forming a thin blue line that kept creeping higher and higher up the hill. It was as inevitable as the rising tide. It was a miracle of self-sacrifice, a triumph of bulldog courage, which one watched breathless with wonder. The fire of the Spanish riflemen, who still stuck bravely to their posts, doubled and trebled in fierceness, the crests of the hills crackled and burst in amazed roars, and rippled with waves of tiny flame.

But the blue line crept steadily up and on, and then, near the top, the broken fragments gathered together with a sudden burst of speed, the Spaniards appeared for a moment outlined against the sky and poised for instant flight, fired a last volley and fled before the swift-moving wave that leaped and sprang up after them. The men of the Ninth and the Rough Riders rushed to the blockhouse together, the men of the Sixth, of the Third, of the Tenth Cavalry, of the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry, fell on their faces along the crest of the hills beyond, and opened upon the vanishing enemy. They drove the yellow silk flags of the cavalry and the Stars and Stripes of their country into the soft earth of the trenches, and then sank down and looked back at the road they had climbed and swung their hats in the air.

And from far overhead, from these few figures perched on the Spanish rifle-pits, with their flags planted among the empty cartridges of the enemy, and overlooking the walls of Santiago, came, faintly, the sound of a tired, broken cheer." References: Davis, Richard Harding, The Cuban and Porto Rican Campaigns (1898) Freidel, Frank, The Splendid Little War (1958) Morris Edmund, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (1979). From: "The Rough Riders Storm San Juan Hill, 1898," EyeWitness to History, (2004).

Question: Who led the charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba in 1898?
Answer: Teddy Roosevelt