Rough Riders, Theodore Roosevelt and the Medal of Honor
During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt, who had been the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, resigned to head the First United States National Cavalry; out of as diverse a group of volunteers as could have been assembled at that time. Lacking military expertise, Roosevelt enlisted the help of United States Army Colonel Leonard Wood in organizing this outfit. Roosevelt was second in command of the unit with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He did the majority of the recruiting for the regiment, which the press quickly nicknamed the Rough Riders. He chose a variety of men, all with one thing in common; they were physically fit expert riders. Pawnee Indian scouts, East Coast polo players, veteran ranch hands and Ivy League athletes helped comprise the Rough Riders, who were shipped to San Antonio, Texas and trained for action in one month.
Logistical problems made it necessary to leave half the men and most of the horses back in the states when the unit traveled to Cuba, arriving on June 22nd, 1898 in Daiquiri. Now basically an infantry unit due to the lack of an equine presence, they saw action at the battle of Las Guasimas, where they forced the Spanish troops to retreat despite being slightly outnumbered. On June 30th, with Colonel Roosevelt now in full command of the Rough Riders due to Wood’s promotion to Brigadier General, they started an all assault on the city of Santiago, which was under a Navy blockade. After first taking Kettle Hill, the Rough Riders turned their attention to San Juan Hill, where all the officers on horseback had to dismount because of the hard terrain. All but one.
Joined by members of the 9th and 10th Regulars, mostly African-American “buffalo soldiers”, the Rough Riders charged the hill. Roosevelt, with total reckless abandon, and as the only man on horseback, implored his men on. He was slightly wounded in his elbow and at one point his glasses were shot off from his head! Despite the odds, the troops took the hill, virtually ending the war with that important victory. Roosevelt, who was forty at the time of his dash up the rugged slopes, would later call it his “crowded hour.”
Malaria would prove as deadly an enemy to the Rough Riders as the Spanish troops did. Combined with other tropical maladies like yellow fever, it took a heavy toll on the regiment, prompting Roosevelt to request the Army to quickly bring home the soldiers. When this did not occur, Teddy began to criticize the administration for dragging its feet. Finally the Rough Riders were returned to a hastily built encampment in Long Island, New York, where they received a hero’s welcome on August 14th. But the month and a half on mosquito-laden Cuba had taken a gigantic toll, as thirty seven percent of the Rough Riders were casualties of disease or war. Roosevelt himself came down with malaria; it would affect him for the rest of his life.
The Rough Riders were mustered out of the service on September 14th, 1898, but continued to have regular reunions until its last member passed away in 1975. Roosevelt’s quest for the Medal of Honor began almost immediately upon his return to the US. He actively began to campaign for the honor, which put off both government and military officials alike. The anger of the McKinley administration that grew from his public criticism of Secretary of War Russell Alger for not bringing his men home soon enough assured that he would not garner the medal while he was alive. An investigative commission would soon remove Alger from his post due to the incompetent manner in which he dealt with the war. Despite the eyewitness accounts of three generals, one of which was a previous Medal of Honor recipient, Roosevelt was still denied the award. Upon his death in 1919, his widow Edith proclaimed that not being granted the medal was “the biggest disappointment of his life.”
Let us fast forward to February 19th, 1996, when Congress repealed a statute of limitations on bestowing the Medal of Honor, mostly to make amends for black servicemen that had been denied the medal because of race. But a Pennsylvania congressman introduced a bill to give Roosevelt the medal, a measure which soon gained steam in Congress. Backed by the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation, the US Navy League, VFW members, citizens and even a third grade class on Long Island, the bill still faced opposition from the Army. There were those within the Army that felt Roosevelt was no braver than many of the troops on San Juan Hill that day and were unhappy over the statute of limitation repeal.
Despite the Army’s resistance, the bill passed unanimously on October 8th, 1998 in the House and in the Senate on October 21st. The battle was not over yet as five senators and a congressman close to the issue decided to send a letter to President Clinton, recommending the Army be given a chance to review Roosevelt’s record. Finally, after what was rumored a close vote, the Army panel recommended that Teddy Roosevelt be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. It is likely that Clinton would have bestowed the medal no matter what the Army recommendation was.
The ceremony took place in the White House on January 16th, 2001, over one hundred years after the Rough Riders’ famous charge. President Clinton presided over the ceremony, one which also saw a slave that fought with Union troops receive the medal posthumously. Clinton said that “to correct a significant historical error” Roosevelt would now receive his medal. His great grandson, Tweed, instrumental in rallying support for this cause, was there to accept the medal, which would remain in the White House.
Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest son, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. had been granted every combat medal available from the United States, as well as many foreign honors, for his bravery in both World Wars. He died of a heart attack on July 12th, 1944 after taking part in the D-Day invasion at Normandy. When his father was awarded the medal, they joined Douglas MacArthur and his Civil war hero father Arthur, as the only pair of father -son winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Below is the citation that accompanied Teddy Roosevelt’s medal, given to him after a one hundred year odyssey:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to
LIEUTENANT COLONEL THEODORE ROOSEVELT
UNITED STATES ARMY
for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt distinguished himself by acts of bravery on 1 July, 1898, near Santiago de Cuba, Republic of Cuba, while leading a daring charge up San Juan Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt, in total disregard for his personal safety, and accompanied by only four or five men, led a desperate and gallant charge up San Juan Hill, encouraging his troops to continue the assault through withering enemy fire over open countryside. Facing the enemy’s heavy fire, he displayed extraordinary bravery throughout the charge, and was the first to reach the enemy trenches, where he quickly killed one of the enemy with his pistol, allowing his men to continue the assault. His leadership and valor turned the tide in the Battle for San Juan Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
