theodore roosevelt-第19节

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　when　he　remembered　what　they　and　many　other　vague　pacifists　had　been　solemnly　proclaiming。　There　was　the　Senator；　for　instance；　who　had　denied　that　we　needed　a　Navy；　because；　if　the　emergency　came；　he　said；　we　could　improvise　one；　and　〃build　a　battleship　in　every　creek。〃　There　were　also　the　spread　eagle　Americans；　the　swaggerers　and　braggarts；　who　amused　themselves　in　tail…twisting　and　insulting　other　nations　so　long　as　they　could　do　this　with　impunity；　but　now　they　were　brought　to　book；　and　their　fears　magnified　the　possible　danger　they　might　run　from　the　invasion　of　irate　Spaniards。　Their　imagination　pictured　to　them　the　poor　old　Spanish　warship　Viscaya；　as　having　as　great　possibility　for　destruction　as　the　entire　British　Fleet　itself。

At　all　these　things　Roosevelt　laughed　to　himself；　because　they　confirmed　the　gospel　of　military　and　naval　preparedness；　which　he　had　been　preaching　for　years；　the　gospel　which　these　very　opponents　reviled　him　for；　but　instead　of　contenting　himself　by　saying　to　them；　〃I　told　you　so；〃　he　pushed　on　preparations　for　war　at　full　speed；　determined　to　make　the　utmost　of　the　existing　resources。　The　Navy　had　clearly　two　tasks　before　it。　It　must　blockade　Cuba；　which　entailed　the　patrol　of　the　Caribbean　Sea　and　the　protection　of　the　Atlantic　ports；　and　it　must　prevent　the　Spanish　Fleet；　known　to　be　at　the

Philippines；　from　crossing　the　Pacific　Ocean；　harassing　our　commerce；　and　threatening　our　harbors　on　our　Western　coast。　Through　Roosevelt's　instrumentality；　Commodore　George　Dewey　had　been　appointed　in　the　preceding　autumn　to　command　our　Asiatic　Squadron；　and　while；　in　the　absence　of　Governor　Long；　Roosevelt　was　Acting…Secretary；　he　sent　the　following　dispatch：

Washington；　February　25；'98。　Dewey；　Hong　Kong：

Order　the　squadron；　except　the　Monocacy；　to　Hong　Kong。　Keep　full　of　coal。　In　the　event　of　declaration　of　war　Spain；　your　duty　will　be　to　see　that　the　Spanish　squadron　does　not　leave　the　Asiatic　coast；　and　then　offensive　operations　in　Philippine　Islands。　Keep　Olympia　until　further　orders。

ROOSEVELT

I　would　not　give　the　impression　that　Roosevelt　was　the　dictator　of　the　Navy　Department；　or　that　all；　or　most；　of　its　notable　achievements　came　from　his　suggestion；　but　the　plain　fact　is；　wherever　you　look　at　its　most　active　and　fruitful　preparations　for　war；　you　find　him　vigorously　assisting。　The　order　he　sent　Commodore　Dewey　led　directly　to　the　chief　naval　event　of　the　war；　the　destruction　of　the　Spanish　Fleet　by　our　Asiatic　Squadron　in　Manila　Bay；　on　May　1st。　Long　before　this　victory　came　to　pass；　however；　Roosevelt　had　resigned　from　the　Navy　Department　and　was　seeking　an　ampler　outlet　for　his　energy。

Having　accomplished　his　duty　as　Assistant　Secretarya　post　which　he　felt　was　primarily　for　a　civilianhe　thought　that　he　had　a　right　to　retire　from　it；　and　to　gratify　his　long…cherished　desire　to　take　part　in　the　actual　warfare。　He　did　not　wish；　he　said；　to　have　to　give　some　excuse　to　his　children　for　not　having　fought　in　the　war。　As　he　had　insisted　that　we　ought　to　free　Cuba　from　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