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Primary sourceBook1899

The Rough Riders

Theodore Roosevelt · 1899

Theodore Roosevelt's own 1899 account of leading the volunteer cavalry regiment during the Spanish–American War in Cuba.

Roosevelt wrote this firsthand account of commanding his volunteer cavalry regiment in the Spanish–American War.

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A nearly black, dark brown rectangular image with a white border, showing a book cover or scanned page edge. Faint sections and a few light-grey patches appear along the right edge, with a black band at the bottom. No readable text or detail is visible.
Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Riders, 1899. P. F. Collier & Son, New York.

About this source

What it is

This is The Rough Riders, a book written by Theodore Roosevelt and published in 1899 by P. F. Collier & Son. In it, Roosevelt describes raising and leading a volunteer cavalry regiment during the 1898 Spanish–American War in Cuba.

Why it matters

The book helped build Roosevelt's public image as a bold military leader, a reputation that boosted his political career soon after. It shows how he wanted to be remembered and how he shaped the story of the war and his regiment himself. The dedication to the soldiers of his division shows the importance he placed on comradeship in battle.

Look closer

  • Why might Roosevelt have chosen to write his own account of the war rather than let others tell it?
  • What does the dedication tell us about how he wanted this book to be read?
  • What parts of a wartime story might be left out when the leader himself writes it?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Theodore Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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