308 The Rough Riders 



squadron of the Tenth Cavalry delivered the main 

 attack upon the hill, which was the strongest point 

 of the Spanish position ; and he says of the troopers 

 of the Tenth Cavalry that "their better training 

 enabled them to render more valuable service than 

 the other troops engaged." In reality, the Tenth 

 Cavalrymen were deployed in support of the First, 

 though they mingled with them in the assault 

 proper; and so far as there was any difference 

 at all in the amount of work done, it was in fa- 

 vor of the First. The statement that the Tenth 

 Cavalry was better trained than the First, and 

 rendered more valuable service, has not the slight- 

 est basis whatsoever of any kind, sort, or de- 

 scription, in fact. The Tenth Cavalry did well 

 what it was required to do; as an organization, in 

 this fight, it was rather less heavily engaged, and 

 suffered less loss, actually and relatively, than 

 either the First Cavalry or the Rough Riders. It 

 took about the same part that was taken by the left 

 wing of the Rough Riders, which wing was simi- 

 larly rather less heavily engaged than the right and 

 centre of the regiment. Of course, this is a reflec- 

 tion neither on the Tenth Cavalry nor on the left 

 wing of the Rough Riders. Each body simply did 

 what it was ordered to do, and did it well: But 

 to claim that the Tenth Cavalry did better than the 

 First, or bore the most prominent part in the fight, 

 is like making the same claim for the left wing of 

 the Rough Riders. All the troops engaged did 



