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The author of Roosevelt's Rough Riders from the author of Legends and Lies1998 marks the centennial year of the Spanish-American War and of the war's most memorable fighting force, the volunteer cavalry regiment called the Rough Riders, led by the redoubtable Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.The Boys of '98 is the complete, colorful story of the regiment: the recruitment of its members -- a peculiar mix of Western frontiersmen and idealistic young Easterners (many of them from Harvard and Yale, and called the lah-de-dah-boys by the crusty Westerners); their slapdash training in Texas and Florida; and their battles at Los Guasimas, Kettle Hill, and San Juan Hill under the gutsy command of Theodore Roosevelt, who led his Rough Riders from San Antonio to San Juan Hill and kept riding, some say, directly into the White House.Dale Walker's spirited story of the regiment includes an account of why America went to war over Cuba, and how victory in the Santiago Campaign was achieved against the odds. The author's interviews with the last three surviving Rough Riders (the last of whom died in 1975) are a unique research source for this book.The Boys of '98 is destined to become the standard work on its fascinating subject...brings vividly to life the era of cigars, brandy, starched collars, straight razors, cotton bloomers, bolt-action rifles, and sepia photographs of impossibly fresh-faced soldiers with their campaign hats cocked to one side. The book is unforgettable -- and remarkable -- timely remembrance of things past. -- Loren D. EstlemanThe Boys of '98 brims with humanity. Dale Walker has made Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders come alive. -- B. Byron Price, ExecutiveDirector, Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Officially known as the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, the Rough Riders are synonymous with the Spanish-American War. Their flamboyant colonel, Theodore Roosevelt, was larger than life and generated substantial publicity for his men. Walker (Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West) has written a lucid account of the history of this volunteer cavalry regiment. He sets the stage by chronicling the troubled history of Cuba and its Spanish rulers, and of U.S. involvement in the island's affairs. After the destruction of the U.S. battleship Maine in February 1898, war was inevitable, given America's outrage over the affair. Roosevelt left his post in the Navy Department and, with Leonard Wood, put together a unique assemblage of men to form the only volunteer cavalry to see action in the subsequent brief war. The regiment's soldiers came from all walks of lifecowboys, ranchers, men from Harvard and Yale, athletes, soldiers of fortune, policemen and many more. The regiment fought in the skirmish at Las Guasimas and took a much-publicized role in the successful assault on San Juan Heights. Battle casualties totaled over a hundred men. Using a combination of memoirs and secondary studies, Walker has produced a human-oriented picture of the regiment, its camp life, battles and struggle with disease in Cuba's tropical climate. Thumbnail biographical sketches provide useful information about the key players in the drama (which incorporates information that Walker garnered nearly 30 years ago while interviewing the then last three surviving Rough Riders). For those interested in the stirring events of a hundred years ago, his study is sure to please. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
The adventures of the famed volunteer cavalry regiment led by the ebullient, romantic, and charismatic Teddy Roosevelt in 1898. Walker (Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West, 1997) observes the 100th anniversary of the Spanish- American War by retelling the story of Roosevelts Rough Riders, an unlikely collection of tough cowboys, western sheriffs, ranchers, hunters, veterans of the Civil and Indian wars, foreign adventurers, Indians, Mexican rebels, retired West Point graduates, wealthy college athletes and playboys, New York policemen, and even a German band. They flocked to the flag looking for adventure and stirred by the war propaganda of American newspapers and the public jingoism of such figures as Teddy Roosevelt. The US was, as usual, woefully unprepared for war. The overwhelmed army issued woolen uniforms to men headed for a tropical climate and couldnt assemble enough ships to transport the troops. The Rough Riders, Roosevelt's brainchild and a unit meant to serve as calvary, embarked for Cuba without their horses because of lack of space. Some 500 Rough Riders took part in hot battles in very difficult jungle terrain (against better-armed Spanish troops), culminating in their remarkable charge up San Juan Hill, following an ebullient Roosevelt into and over enemy positions. More American troops, however, were felled by disease (mostly malaria or yellow fever) than by enemy bullets. The war was a short one and the life of the regiment, whose men did not take kindly to professional military discipline, lasted only four months. The campaign, and more particularly the charge up San Juan Hill, helped to eventually carry Roosevelt to the White House. This lively and carefully detailed narrative of one of the more unlikely military units and of a short, savage war, celebrates some gallant men and catches their nation at the moment it emerged as a world power.
Booklist Review
Walker commemorates the centennial of the Spanish-American War with a vivid history of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment--the Rough Riders. Along with new interviews with the last three Rough Riders, western historian Walker offers succinct biographical sketches of politicians, soldiers, and sailors along with lively, well-organized analyses of the war's causes, the role of newspaper publishers and reporters, and the strategies and tactics of the opposing forces. His interpretation is frank yet respectful. He shows that the U.S. entered the war with suspect motives--the Maine was probably sunk by internal explosion rather than a Spanish mine--and an unprepared military. But once engaged, the soldiers, from patrician Roosevelt to the humblest of troopers, fought bravely and risked much to win. Roosevelt, Walker concludes, earned his war-hero status legitimately. Strong research and accessible writing make this study fresh and insightful. A nice complement to Nathan Miller's wonderful biography, Theodore Roosevelt (1992). (Reviewed April 15, 1998)0312864795John Rowen
Library Journal Review
On this centennial of the Spanish-American War, a number of publications are scheduled. This volume concentrates on the tumultuous creation and short, thrilling campaign of the volunteer regiment raised by then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt. Walker sets the scene with some background but zeroes in on the regiment of "woolly" adventurerscowboys, frontier lawmen, New York club loungers, Harvard graduates, journalists, and wanderers whose virtue, according to Roosevelt, was their ferocity, energy, courage, and manliness. The regiment was raised in April, trained in June, fought in July, and disbanded in September, having sustained 37 percent casualties. Roosevelt declined command in favor of his friend Capt. Leonard Wood, but the personality of the future president was so strong that in the popular eye it was his glory alone. Walker (Rough Rider: Buckey O'Neill of Arizona, Univ. of Nebraska, 1997) has assembled a thoroughly researched popular history that can be enjoyed by lay readers. Recommended for subject collections. (Maps and pictures not seen.)Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. 13 |
| Prologue | p. 18 |
| I. The Ever-faithful Isle | p. 22 |
| II. Spoiling for War | p. 31 |
| III. The Infernal Machine | p. 45 |
| IV. Jingo | p. 62 |
| V. The Clank of the Saber | p. 81 |
| VI. Heroes and Stalwarts | p. 101 |
| VII. San Antonio | p. 112 |
| VIII. Tampa | p. 131 |
| IX. Daiquiri | p. 150 |
| X. Las Guasimas | p. 169 |
| XI. El Pozo | p. 189 |
| XII. Crowded Hour | p. 206 |
| XIII. Last Volleys | p. 224 |
| XIV. Victory | p. 241 |
| XV. Home | p. 257 |
| Epilogue | p. 272 |
| Sources | p. 283 |
| Bibliography | p. 287 |
| Index | p. 293 |
