The Rough Riders (Cornerstones of Freedom (Paperback)) [Paperback]

Zachary Kent (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press (CT) (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0516447564
• ISBN-13: 978-0516447568
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders won the war against Spain, January 19, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Riders (Cornerstones of Freedom (Paperback)) (Paperback)

The Spanish-American war basically boils down to two events, the sinking of the battleship Maine and the charge of the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill. In writing about the latter for the Cornerstones of Freedom series, Zachary Kent talks about the former in the context of the yellow journalism of William Randolph Hearst's "New York Journal" and Joseph Pulitzer's "New York World." One of those eager to go to war was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt. Along with White House physician Leonard Wood, they organized the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The group that would be known as the Rough Riders was supposed to be composed of frontiersmen from the western territories, but they were joined by Ivy League college students and New York rich kids as well. Kent details the training of the unit and their transport to Cuba before telling the story of their military activities in Cuba.

Because of illness, Colonel Wood ended up taking command of the U.S. Second Cavalry, leaving Roosevelt in charge of the Rough Riders. After an initial skirmish, the Rough Riders made their name taking first Kettle Hill and then San Juan Hill, protecting the Cuban stronghold of Santiago. Once the city was surrounded the Spanish fleet tried to escape from Santiago Harbor, but was destroyed by the U.S. battleships under Commodore Winfield S. Schley, thereby effectively ending the Spanish-American War. Kent then turns to the triumphant return of Roosevelt and "his" Rough Riders and how T.R. took full advantage of the political capital of his war experiences. For a fuller understanding of the Spanish-American War you can look at the Cornerstones of Freedom volume on that topic, while Kent's volume provides a focus on the most famous military unit to come out of that "Splendid Little War." As always, this series provides an excellent first place for teachers and students alike to look for more information than they will get from an American History textbook.