The Rough Riders · Chapter
Appendix C: Corrections explained
Roosevelt provides corrections and clarifications to earlier accounts of the Rough Riders' actions, including details about the fates of various troopers after the war, corrections to the narrative of the Battle of San Juan Hill, and rebutt
What happens
Roosevelt provides corrections and clarifications to earlier accounts of the Rough Riders' actions, including details about the fates of various troopers after the war, corrections to the narrative of the Battle of San Juan Hill, and rebuttals to Stephen Bonsal's account of the Battle of Las Guasimas. He includes letters from participants that offer firsthand perspectives on the charge up Kettle Hill and the conduct of the regiment.
Themes in this chapter
Camaraderie and Brotherhood
Roosevelt's inclusion of letters from troopers like George Rowland and Sergeant Norton highlights the enduring bonds and shared memories among the Rough Riders after the war.
Heroism and Masculinity
The narrative emphasizes the valor of officers and men, such as Lieutenants Shipp and Smith who were killed leading their troops, and the 'fighting edge' of General Wheeler.
Individual Initiative vs. Bureaucracy
Roosevelt defends General Wheeler's decision to engage at Las Guasimas as a necessary initiative, contrasting with bureaucratic caution, and praises Washington for overruling retreat proposals.
Characters to notice
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of the appendix, providing corrections and commentary on the regiment's history.
- Bucky O'Neill
Mentioned in the context of his speech about vultures, with a suggested biblical source.
- George Rowland
Quoted in a letter about his disdain for being stared at as a spectacle and the death of Tom Darnell.
- Tom Darnell
Reported killed in a fight after the war, as described in Rowland's letter.
- Captain Llewellen
Mentioned as having been elected to office in New Mexico after the war.
- Captain Luna
Mentioned as having been elected to office in New Mexico after the war.
- Alexander Brodie
Mentioned as having been defeated in an election in Arizona after the war.
- A. L. Mills
Quoted in a letter providing a detailed account of his role in delivering orders and the charge up Kettle Hill.
Key passages
“Well, old boy, I am glad I didn’t go home with you for them people to look at, because I ain’t a Buffalo or a rhinoceros or a giraffe, and I don’t like to be stared at, and you know we didn’t do no hard fighting down there. I have been in closer places than that right here in United States, that is better men to fight than them dam Spaniards.”
Trooper Rowland writes to a friend that he is glad he did not return East to be gawked at like a zoo animal, because their fighting in Cuba was not as tough as some he had experienced in the US against tougher opponents.
Rowland's letter reflects the Rough Riders' disdain for being treated as curiosities and their pride in their frontier toughness.
“I reached the head of the regiment as you came out of the lane and gave you the orders to enter the action. These were that you were to move, with your right resting along the wire fence of the lane, to the support of the regular cavalry then attacking the hill we were facing.”
Captain Mills recounts meeting Roosevelt at the head of the regiment and delivering orders to advance in support of the regular cavalry attacking the hill ahead.
Mills provides a firsthand correction to Roosevelt's earlier account of the chain of command during the advance on Kettle Hill.
“On July 1st I, together with Sergeant Campbell and Troopers Bardshar and Dudley Dean and my brother who was killed and some others, was at the front of the column right behind you. We moved forward, following you as you rode, to where we came upon the troopers of the Ninth Cavalry and a part of the First lying down.”
Sergeant Norton describes being at the front of the column behind Roosevelt, advancing until they encountered troopers of the Ninth and First Cavalry who were lying down.
Norton's account corroborates the moment when Roosevelt pushed through the regular cavalry lines to initiate the charge.
