Reviews for The Rough Riders

The average rating for The Rough Riders based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-02-20 00:00:00 Janet Hudson "We knew not whither we were bound, nor what we were to do; but we believed that the nearing future held for us many chances of death and hardship, of honor and renown." - Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Riders I've been curious to read this memoir/history by TR. Like everything he did, it was written with energy and machismo. He reminds me a lot of my late father-in-law, who was probably born a century too late. My father-in-law was a calvary Colonel who commanded both tanks and helicopters. It is something to see a helicopter colonel stomping around with spurs on and not think a little of Theodore Roosevelt. The Rough Riders were a band of confederate volunteers made up primarily of cowboys, lawmen, miners, and native americans from the Western territories (New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas) and sprinkled with athletes and adventurers from Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Through persistence and energy, Roosevelt and his 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry managed to work their way to the point of the spear during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and engaged in the Battle of Las Guasimas, the Battle of San Juan Hill, and the seige of Siege of Santiago. This episode was one of those early events that helped propel the energetic TR forward in his march to the presidency.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-05 00:00:00 Templar Thomas I enjoyed this short book quite a bit. There were three things that really struck me. First, Roosevelt's approach to war was extremely interesting. It was very much an adventure to him. Although there was absolutely no need for this war, he considered it a just cause, and he openly promoted it. The war was an opportunity for men to prove their mettle, and he was proud when his men did. So it was very much an adventure, something to be celebrated in his mind. But at the same time, he didn't skimp on the tragedy of war. He spent a considerable amount of time on the stories of men killed in battle - not in a bloodthirsty way, but sad, describing the human tragedy. I found myself identifying with his perspective in some ways, but unable to really embrace it. It was an eye-opener, though to a perspective of war that isn't really aired in today's various debates. Second, it's easy to see from his writing why Roosevelt was so popular. He was so interested in other people and their stories, he spent a good deal of the book talking about all of the people around him, their backgrounds, and the ways that they impressed him. I've read a little before about how friendly he was and about how people were drawn to him, and it's on display in his writing. Third, I was very impressed with the writing. The whole thing is essentially built around one battle that ends halfway through the book, and the fact that the rest of the book keeps the reader's interest, I think, is a testament to good story-telling. All-in-all, a very good book both for the history of the war and for the insight into Roosevelt. An easy, worthwhile read.