Cuban independence in the past but in 1895 a group of revolutionaries started a rebellion that would eventually drag the United States into war with Spain The United States did a great deal of trade with Cuba The ongoing fighting between Cuban revolutionaries and the Spanish military threatened those economic interests With war on the horizon Theodore strategically positioned US Navy ships so they could destroy the Spanish fleet in Cuba and other parts of the world if a conflict erupted When peacemaking efforts failed the United States declared war on Spain on April 25 1898 A Man of Action Theodore had no intention of sitting on the sidelines He resigned his government post and immediately gathered a group of robust volunteers to join the fight At age 39 Theodore who had always dreamed of the glories of battle got a chance to test himself in combat The regiment he built was made up of some of his closest friends They were fiery tough and eager to follow Theodore anywhere Theodore's unit was called the First Volunteer Cavalry and nicknamed the Rough Riders because of its members boundless energy It was one of several regiments formed when President William McKinley issued a call for volunteers to bolster the ranks of the US Army to fight the Spanish Only 28 000 men were serving in the army
Many of Theodore's volunteers had been cowboys and frontiersmen some had been police officers others athletes when war with Spain was declared on April 25 Theodore was named lieutenant colonel of the First Volunteer Cavalry Though he was second in command to Colonel
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Leonard Wood Theodore had a great deal of influence over the 1 000 men in the unit By June the Rough Riders along with 6 000 other US soldiers were on their way to Cuba The plan was to capture the port city of Santiago de Cuba the Spanish stronghold The US Navy would bombard Spanish ships in the city's harbor It would be supported by US ground troops and Cuban freedom fighters in a joint land operation Their mission was to oust Spanish soldiers from the city US fighters including the Rough Riders landed on the beaches of Daiquiri Cuba on June 22 1898 Daiquiri was 18 miles 30 km east of Santiago de Cuba The first challenge was getting ashore Waters were rough and piers were splintered and washing away but eventually they made it to land The next day the Rough Riders and their fellow troops captured a mountain pass in the battle of Las Guasimas Shortly after the battle Colonel Wood was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and Theodore was named colonel In the early morning hours of July 1 US troops in the mountain pass I am quite content to go now and to leave my children at least an honorable name w3 Theodore Roosevelt speaking about his fighting in Cuba in a letter to a friend in August 1898 around Las Guasimas came under heavy fire Theodore was hit in the wrist with shrapnel The Rough Riders traveled to Cuba to help the United States in the Spanish American
