The Rough Riders · Chapter
VI: The Return Home explained
After the surrender, the cavalry division camps in the foothills west of El Caney, where malarial fever ravages the troops.
What happens
After the surrender, the cavalry division camps in the foothills west of El Caney, where malarial fever ravages the troops. Roosevelt describes the inadequate medical supplies, the struggle to obtain proper food, and the panic over yellow fever. He recounts the heroic efforts of Dr. Church and others, the eventual return to the United States, and the disbanding of the regiment. The chapter closes with a letter from a teacher in Indian Territory, illustrating the quiet heroism and pride of the Rough Riders.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Sacrifice
The chapter details the physical toll of malarial fever, the lack of proper supplies, and the quiet endurance of the men, many of whom refused pensions or help after the war.
Camaraderie and Brotherhood
Roosevelt's care for his men, the efforts of officers like Captain Llewellen, and the loyalty of the troopers, as shown in the letter from Alice M. Robertson, highlight the deep bonds within the regiment.
Individual Initiative vs. Bureaucracy
Roosevelt criticizes the War Department's panic and poor planning, contrasting it with the resourcefulness of officers who improvised to get food and medicine.
Characters to notice
- Theodore Roosevelt
Narrates the chapter; describes the camp conditions, sickness, and efforts to care for his men.
- Robb Church
Splendid work in the regimental hospital despite suffering from fever himself.
- Captain Llewellen
Carried a pick and shovel for a sick man and walked back with a mule to help another trooper; became very sick and was sent to the States.
- Henry Bardshar
Roosevelt's orderly, struck down by fever, lost over eighty pounds.
- Jack Greenway
Succumbed to fever and was knocked out for a few days.
- David Goodrich
Succumbed to fever and was knocked out for a few days.
- Bert Holderman
Died of meningitis after the regiment disbanded; his mother was a Cherokee.
- Colonel Weston
Commissary-General who rendered every service in his power to supply food.
Key passages
“Every officer other than myself except one was down with sickness at one time or another. Even Greenway and Goodrich succumbed to the fever and were knocked out for a few days.”
Almost every officer except Roosevelt fell ill; even the fittest men like Greenway and Goodrich were temporarily incapacitated by fever.
Highlights the widespread sickness in the regiment.
“Our real foe was not the yellow fever at all, but malarial fever, which was not infectious, but which was certain, if the troops were left throughout the summer in Cuba, to destroy them...”
The true danger was malaria, not yellow fever, and staying in Cuba through the summer would have been fatal to the army.
Roosevelt corrects the misconception about yellow fever and emphasizes the threat of malaria.
“Men who bore on their faces and in their forms the traces of long days of illness, indicating wrecked constitutions, declared that nothing was the matter with them, at the same time disclaiming any intention of applying for a pension. It was exceptionally heroic.”
Sick and weakened men refused to admit their condition or seek pensions, showing remarkable heroism.
Illustrates the pride and stoicism of the Rough Riders.
