theodore roosevelt-第16章

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om　Spanish　tyranny　and　cruelty；　he　could　not　consistently　refuse　to　join　actively　in　the　liberation。　A　man　who　teaches　the　duty　of　fighting　should　pay　with　his　body　when　the　fighting　comes。

General　Alger；　the　Secretary　of　War；　had　a　great　liking　for　Roosevelt；　offered　him　a　commission　in　the　Army；　and　even　the　command　of　a　regiment。　This　he　prudently　declined；　having　no　technical　military　knowledge。　He　proposed　instead；　that　Dr。　Leonard　Wood　should　be　made　Colonel；　and　that　he　should　serve　under　Wood　as　Lieutenant…Colonel。　By　profession；　Wood　was　a　physician；　who　had　graduated　at　the　Harvard　Medical　School；　and　then　had　been　a　contract　surgeon　with　the　American　Army　on　the　plains。　In　this　service　he　went　through　the　roughest　kind　of　campaigning　and；　being　ambitious；　and　having　an　instinct　for　military　science；　he　studied　the　manuals　and　learned　from　them　and　through　actual　practice　the　principles　of　war。　In　this　way　he　became　competent　to　lead　troops。　He　was　about　two　years　younger　than　Roosevelt；　with　an　iron　frame；　great　tenacity　and　endurance；　a　man　of　few　words；　but　of　clear　sight　and　quick　decision。

While　Roosevelt　finished　his　business　at　the　Navy　Department；　Colonel　Wood　hurried　to　San　Antonio；　Texas；　the　rendezvous　of　the　First　Regiment　of　Volunteer　Cavalry。　A　call　for　volunteers；　issued　by　Roosevelt　and　endorsed　by　Secretary　Alger；　spread　through　the　West　and　Southwest；　and　it　met　with　a　quick　response。　Not　even　in　Garibaldi's　famous　Thousand　was　such　a　strange　crowd　gathered。　It　comprised　cow…punchers；　ranchmen；　hunters；　professional　gamblers　and　rascals　of　the　Border；　sports　men；　mingled　with　the　society　sports；　former　football　players　and　oarsmen；　polo…players　and　lovers　of　adventure　from　the　great　Eastern　cities。　They　all　had　one　quality　in　commoncourageand　they　were　all　bound　together　by　one　common　bond；　devotion　to　Theodore　Roosevelt。　Nearly　every　one　of　them　knew　him　personally；　some　of　the　Western　men　had　hunted　or　ranched　with　him；　some　of　the　Eastern　had　been　with　him　in　college；　or　had　had　contact　with　him　in　one　of　the　many　vicissitudes　of　his　career。　It　was　a　remarkable　spectacle；　this　flocking　to　a　man　not　yet　forty　years　old；　whose　chief　work　up　to　that　time　had　been　in　the　supposed　commonplace　position　of　a　Civil　Service　Commissioner　and　of　a　New　York　Police　Commissioner！　But　Roosevelt's　name　was　already　known　throughout　the　country：　it　excited　great　admiration　in　many；　grave　doubts　in　many；　and　curiosity　in　all。　His　friends　urged　him　not　to　go。　It　seemed　to　some　of　us　almost　wantonly　reckless　that　he　should　put　his　life；　which　had　been　so　valuable　and　evidently　held　the　promise　of　still　higher　achievement；　at　the　risk　of　a　Spanish　bullet；　or　of　yellow　fever　in　Cuba；　for　the　sake　of　a　cause　which　did　not　concern　the　safety　of　his　country。　But　he　never　considered　risks　or　chances。　He　felt　it　as　a　duty　that　we　must　free　Cuba；　and　that　every　one　who　recognized　this　duty　should　do　his　share　in　performing　it。　No　doubt　the　excitement　and　the　noble　side　of　our　war　attracted　him。　No　doubt；　also；　that　he　remembered　that　the　reputation　of　a　successful　soldier　had　often　proved　a　ladder　to　political　promotion　in　our　Republic。　Every　reader　of　our　history；　though　he　were　the　dullest；　understood　that。　But　that　was　not　the　chief　reason；　or　even　an　important　one；　in　shaping　his　decision。　He　went　to　San　Antonio　in　May；　and　worked　without　respite　in　learning　the　rudiments　of　war　and　in　teaching　them　to　his　motley　volunteers；　who　were　already　called　by　the　public；　and　will　be　known　in　history；　as　the　〃Rough　Riders。〃　He　felt　relieved　when　〃Teddy's　Terrors；〃　one　of　the　nicknames　proposed；　did　not　stick　to　them。　At　the　end　of　the　month　the　regiment　proceeded　to　Tampa；　Florida；　whence　part　of　it　sailed　for　Cuba　on　the　transport　Yucatan。　It　sufficiently　indicates　the　state　of　chaos　which　then　reigned　in　our　Army　preparations；　that　half　the　regiment　and　all　the　horses　and　mules　were　left　behind。　Arrived　in　Cuba；；　the　first　troops；　accustomed　only　to　the　saddle；　had　to　hobble　along　as　best　they　could；　on　foot；　so　that　some　wag　rechristened　them　〃　Wood's　Weary　Walkers。〃　The　rest　of　the　regiment；　with　the　mounts；　came　a　little　later；　and　at　Las　Guasimas　they　had　their　first　skirmish　with　the　Spaniards。　Eight　of　them　were　killed；　and　they　were　buried　in　one　grave。　Afterward；　in　writing　the　history　of　the　Rough　Riders；　Roosevelt　said：　〃There　could　be　no　more　honorable　burial　than　that　of　these　men　in　a　common　graveIndian　and　cowboy；　miner；　packer；　and　college　athletethe　man　of　unknown　ancestry　from　the　lonely　Western　plains；　and　the　man　who　carried　on　his　watch　the　crests　of　the　Stuyvesants　and　the　Fishes；　one　in　the　way　they　had　met　death；　just　as　during　life　they　had　been　one　in　their　daring　and　their　loyalty。〃　*

*　The　Rough　Riders；　120。


I　shall　not　attempt　to　follow　in　detail　the　story　of　the　Rough　Riders；　but　shall　touch　only　on　those　matters　which　refer　to　Roosevelt　himself。　Wood；　having　been　promoted　to　Brigadier…General；　in　command　of　a　larger　unit；　Theodore　became　Colonel　of　the　regiment。　On　July　1　and　2　he　commanded　the　Rough　Riders　in　their　attack　on　and　capture　of　San　Juan　Hill；　in　connection　with　some　colored　troops。　In　this　engagement；　their　nearest　approach　to　a　battle；　the　Rough　Riders；　who　had　less　than　five　hundred　men　in　action；　lost　eighty…nine　in　killed　and　wounded。　Then　followed　a　dreary　life　in　the　trenches　until　Santiago　surrendered；　and　then　a　still　more　terrible　experience　while　they　waited　for　Spain　to　give　up　the　war。　Under　a　killing　tropical　sun；　receiving　irregular　and　often　damaged　food；　without　tent　or　other　protection　from　the　heat　or　from　the　rain；　the　Rough　Riders　endured　for　weeks　the　ravages　of　fever；　climate；　and　privation。　To　realize　that　their　sufferings　were　directly　owing　to　the　blunders　and　incompetence　of　the　War　Department　at　home；　brought　no　consolation；　for　the　soldiers　could　see　no　reason　why　the　Department　should　not　go　on　blundering　indefinitely。　One　of　the　Rough　Riders　told　me　that；　when　stricken　with　fever；　he　lay　for　days　on　the　beach；　and　that　anchored　within　the　distance　a　tennis…ball　could　be　thrown　was　a　steamer　loaded　with　medicines；　but　that　no　orders　were　given　to　bring　them　ashore！

The　Rough　Riders　were　hard　hit　by　disease；　but　not　harder　than　the　other　regiments　in　the　Army。　Every　one　of　their　officers；　except　the　Colonel　and　another；　had　yellow　fever；　and　at　one　time　more　than　half　of　the　regiment　was　sick。　A　terrible　depression　weighed　them　down。　They　almost　despaired；　not　only　of　being　relieved；　but　of　living。　To　face　the　entire　Spanish　Army　would　have　been　a　great　joy；　compared　with　this　sinking；　melting　away；　against　the　invisible　fever。

The　Administration　at　Washington；　however；　although　it　knew　the　condition　of　the　Army　in　Cuba；　seemed　indifferent　rather　than　anxious；　and　talked　about　moving　the　troops　into　the　interior；　to　the　high　ground　round　San　Luis。　Thereupon；　Roosevelt　wrote　to　General　Shafter；　his　commanding　officer：

To　keep　us　here；　in　the　opinion　of　every　officer　commanding　a　division　or　a　brigade；　will　simply　involve　the　destruction　of　thousands。　There　is　no　possible　reason　for　not　shipping　practically　the　entire　command　North　at　once　。。。。

All　of　us　are　certain；　as　soon　as　the　authorities　at　Washington　fully　appreciate　the　conditions　of　the　army；　to　be　sent　home。　If　we　are　kept　here　it　will　in　all　human　probability　mean　an　appalling　disaster；　for　the　surgeons　here　estimate　that　over　half　the　army；　if　kept　here　during　the　sickly　season；　will　die。

This　is　not　only　terrible　from　the　standpoint　of　the　individual　lives　lost；　but　it　means　ruin　from　the　standpoint　of　military　efficiency　of　the　flower　of　the　American　Army；　for　the　great　bulk　of　the　regulars　are　here　with　you。　The　sick…list；　large　though　it　is；　exceeding　four　thousand；　affords　but　a　faint　index　of　the　debilitation　of　the　army。　Not　ten　per　cent　are　fit　for　active　work。

This　letter　General　Shafter　really　desired　to　have　written；　but　when　Roosevelt　handed　it　to　him；　he　hesitated　to　receive　it。　Still　Roosevelt　persisted；　left　it　in　the　General's　hands；　and　the　General　gave　it　to　the　correspondent　of　the　Associated　Press　who　was　present。　A　few　hours　later　it　had　been　telegraphed　to　the　United　States。　Shafter　called　a　council　of　war　of　the　division　and　brigade　commanders；　which　he　invited　Roosevelt　to　attend；　although　his　rank　as　Colonel　did　not　entitle　him　to　take　part。　When　the　Generals　heard　that　the　Army　was　to　be　kept　in　Cuba　all　summer　and　sent　up　into　the　hills；　they　agreed　that　Roosevelt's　protest　must　be　supported；　and　they　drew　up　the　famous　〃Round　Robin〃　in　which　they　repeated　Roosevelt's　warnings。　Neither　President　McKinley　nor　the　War　Department　could　be　deaf　to　such　a　statement　as　this：　〃This　army　must　be　moved　at　once　or　perish。　As　the　army　can　be　safely　moved　now；　the　persons　responsible　for　preventing　such　a　move　will　be　responsible　for　the　unnecessary　loss　of　many　thousands　of　lives。〃

This　letter　also　was　immediately　published　at　home；　and　outcries　of　horror　and　indignation　went　up。　A　few　sticklers　for　military　etiquette　professed　to　be　astonished　that　any　officer　should　be　guilty　of　the　insubordination　which　these　letters　implied；　and；　of　course；　the　blame　fell　on　Roosevelt。　The　truth　is　that　Shafter；　dismayed　at　the　condition　of　the　Fifth　Army；　and　at　his　own　inability　to　make　the　Government　understand　the　frightful　doom　which　was　impending；　deliberately　chose　Roosevelt　to　commit　the　insubordination；　for；　as　he　was　a　volunteer　officer；　soon　to　be　discharged；　the　act　could　not　harm　his　future；　whereas　the　regular　officers　were　not　likely　to　be　popular　with　the　War　Department　after　they　had　called　the　attention　of　the　world　to　its　maleficent　incompetence。

Washington　heard　the　shot　fired　by　the　Colonel　of　the　Rough　Riders；　and　without　loss　of　time　ordered　the　Army　home。　The　sick　were　transported　by　thousands　to　Montauk　Point；　at　the　eastern　end　of　Long　Island；　where；　in　spite　of　the　best　medical　care　which　could　be　improvised；　large　numbers　of　them　died。　But　the　Army　knew；　and　the　American　public　knew；　that　Roosevelt；　by　his　〃　insubordination；〃　had　saved　multitudes　of　lives。　At　Montauk　Point　he　was　the　most　popular　man　in　America。

This　concluded　Roosevelt's　career　as　a　soldier。　The　experience　introduced　to　the　public　those　virile　qualities　of　his　with　which　his　friends　were　familiar。　He　had　not　endured　the　hardships　of　ranching　and　hunting　in　vain。　If　life　on　the　Plains　democratized　him；　life　with　the　Rough　Riders　did　also；　indeed；　without　the　former　there　would　have　been　no　Rough　Riders　and　no　Colonel　Roosevelt。　He　learned　not　only　how　to　lead　a　regiment　according　to　the　tactics　of　that　day；　but　alsoand　this　was　far　more　importanthe　learned　how　disasters　and　the　waste　of　lives；　and　treasure；　and　the　ignominy　of　a　disgracefully　managed　campaign；　sprang　directly　from　unpreparedness。　This　burned　indelibly　into　his　memory。　It　stimulated　all　his　subsequent　appeals　to　make　the　Army　and　Navy　large　enough　for　any　probable　sudden　demand　upon　them。　〃America　the　Unready〃　had　won　the　war　against　a　decrepit；　impoverished；　third…rate　power；　but　had　paid　for　her　victory　hundreds　of　millions　of　dollars　and　tens　of　thousands　of　lives；　what　would　the　count　have　mounted　to　had　she　be