Theodore …show more content…
The Rough Riders were no exception. There were so many that a lot of men did not get to go to the war due to the lack of space and boats. Teddy wrote “I saw more than one, both among officers and privates, burst into tears when he found he could not go.” (Sterner)
The Rough Riders that made it to the Spanish colonies first saw battle at Las Guasimas. Although this battle was not important to the outcome of the war, it quickly made papers (“The World of 1898”). Roosevelt was right alongside his men fighting in this battle. He killed a Spaniard from a revolver salvaged, appropriately, from the U.S.S. Maine (“T.R. the Rough Rider”). During the fighting all senior officers except Roosevelt were killed. This left Roosevelt in charge of the survivors of all six regiments in the battle …show more content…
The men at this battle fought hard. The men trenched at San Juan Hill were rained down on by Spanish bullets (Sterner). A Spanish soldier said “When we fired a volley, instead of falling back they came forward. This is not the way to fight.” (Konstam) After taking San Juan Hill the Rough Riders and other regiments headed to Kettle Hill adjacent San Juan Hill (“T.R. the Rough Rider”). Kettle Hill got it’s name because of a large kettle on the side of the hill that the soldiers used to take cover. They waited in the trenches for an hour that became known as “The Crowded Hour” (Sterner). Again, while the soldiers waited to charge Kettle Hill, they were targets for the Spaniard bullets (Konstam). The charge was very weak.. Most people thought Teddy’s charge had no chance. It did not have near enough troop strength (“Theodore Roosevelt Association”). There were so few men charging the hill that it looked like a mistake (“Eyewitness to