Today in History: The Rough Riders

Colonel Roosevelt and his Rough Riders at the top of the hill which they captured, Battle of San Juan
Today in History–July 1–the Library of Congress features the rough riders. On this day in 1898 these voluntary cavalrymen, led by Theodore Roosevelt, helped to secure a U.S. victory in the Battle of Santiago, the decisive battle of the short-lived Spanish-American War. The rough riders stormed Kettle Hill, then joined in the capture of the San Juan Hill complex in Cuba. Find out more about these soldiers who captured the attention of the American public by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access related primary sources.

Rough Rider from America’s Library

Rough riders image set

Rough rider films

Rough riders historical newspaper coverage

Books about the Rough riders

Roaldus Richmond rough rider recollections (oral history interview)

Theodore Roosevelt primary source set

Spanish-American War teaching resources & primary source collections