1 8 The Rough Riders 



the carbines, saddles, and uniforms that we needed 

 from the various armories and storehouses. Then 

 I went down to San Antonio myself, where I found 

 the men from New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma 

 already gathered, while those from Indian Territory 

 came in soon after my arrival. 



These were the men who made up the bulk of the 

 regiment, and gave it its peculiar character. They 

 came from the Four Territories which yet remained 

 within the boundaries of the United States; that is, 

 from the lands that have been most recently won 

 over to white civilization, and in which the condi- 

 tions of life are nearest those that obtained on the 

 frontier when there still was a frontier. They were 

 a splendid set of men, these Southwesterners tall 

 and sinewy, with resolute, weather-beaten faces, and 

 eyes that looked a man straight in the face without 

 flinching. They included in their ranks men of 

 every occupation ; but the three types were those of 

 the cowboy, the hunter, and the mining prospector 

 the man who wandered hither and thither, killing 

 game for a living, and spending his life in the quest 

 for metal wealth. 



In all the world there could be no better material 

 for soldiers than that afforded by these grim hunters of 

 the mountains, these wild rough riders of the plains. 

 They were accustomed to handling wild and savage 

 horses ; they were accustomed to following the chase 



