Raising the Regiment n 



Cavalry. This was the official title of the regiment, 

 but for some reason or other the public promptly 

 christened us the "Rough Riders." At first we 

 fought against the use of the term, but to no pur- 

 pose ; and when finally the Generals of Division and 

 Brigade began to write in formal communications 

 about our regiment as the "Rough Riders," we 

 adopted the term ourselves. 



The mustering-places for the regiment were ap- 

 pointed in New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and 

 Indian Territory. The difficulty in organizing was 

 not in selecting, but in rejecting men. Within a 

 day or two after it was announced that we were to 

 raise the regiment, we were literally deluged with 

 applications from every quarter of the Union. 

 Without the slightest trouble, so far as men went, 

 we could have raised a brigade or even a division. 

 The difficulty lay in arming, equipping, mounting, 

 and disciplining the men we selected. Hundreds of 

 regiments were being called into existence by the 

 National Government, and each regiment was sure 

 to have innumerable wants to be satisfied. To a 

 man who knew the ground as Wood did, and who 

 was entirely aware of our national unpreparedness, 

 it was evident that the ordnance and quartermas- 

 ter's bureaus could not meet, for some time to come, 

 one-tenth of the demands that would be made upon 

 them; and it was all-important to get in first with 



