The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War
Americans have long heard the story of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charging up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. But often forgotten in the great swamp of history is that Roosevelt’s success was ensured by a dedicated corps of black soldiers—the so-called Buffalo Soldiers—who fought by Roosevelt’s side during his legendary campaign. Roosevelt admitted that the black troops actually spearheaded the charge, beating him to the top of Kettle Hill ahead of San Juan Hill, but later changed his story, claiming their perfor­mance was due to the superior white officers under whom the black troops served.
 
The Roughest Riders takes a closer look at common historical legend and balances the record. It is the inspiring story of the first African American soldiers to serve during the post-slavery era, first in the West and later in Cuba, when full equality, legally at least, was still a distant dream. They fought heroically and courageously, making Roosevelt’s campaign a great success that added to the future president’s legend as a great man of words and action. But most of all, they demonstrated their own military prowess, often in the face of incredible discrimination from their fellow soldiers and commanders, and rightfully deserve their own place in American history.
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The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War
Americans have long heard the story of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charging up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. But often forgotten in the great swamp of history is that Roosevelt’s success was ensured by a dedicated corps of black soldiers—the so-called Buffalo Soldiers—who fought by Roosevelt’s side during his legendary campaign. Roosevelt admitted that the black troops actually spearheaded the charge, beating him to the top of Kettle Hill ahead of San Juan Hill, but later changed his story, claiming their perfor­mance was due to the superior white officers under whom the black troops served.
 
The Roughest Riders takes a closer look at common historical legend and balances the record. It is the inspiring story of the first African American soldiers to serve during the post-slavery era, first in the West and later in Cuba, when full equality, legally at least, was still a distant dream. They fought heroically and courageously, making Roosevelt’s campaign a great success that added to the future president’s legend as a great man of words and action. But most of all, they demonstrated their own military prowess, often in the face of incredible discrimination from their fellow soldiers and commanders, and rightfully deserve their own place in American history.
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The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

by Jerome Tuccille
The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War

by Jerome Tuccille

Hardcover

$26.95 
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Overview

Americans have long heard the story of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charging up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. But often forgotten in the great swamp of history is that Roosevelt’s success was ensured by a dedicated corps of black soldiers—the so-called Buffalo Soldiers—who fought by Roosevelt’s side during his legendary campaign. Roosevelt admitted that the black troops actually spearheaded the charge, beating him to the top of Kettle Hill ahead of San Juan Hill, but later changed his story, claiming their perfor­mance was due to the superior white officers under whom the black troops served.
 
The Roughest Riders takes a closer look at common historical legend and balances the record. It is the inspiring story of the first African American soldiers to serve during the post-slavery era, first in the West and later in Cuba, when full equality, legally at least, was still a distant dream. They fought heroically and courageously, making Roosevelt’s campaign a great success that added to the future president’s legend as a great man of words and action. But most of all, they demonstrated their own military prowess, often in the face of incredible discrimination from their fellow soldiers and commanders, and rightfully deserve their own place in American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781613730461
Publisher: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date: 09/01/2015
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 751,190
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jerome Tuccille is the author of more than thirty books, including Hemingway and Gellhorn, Gallo Be Thy Name, and Trump, and has taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He passed away in 2017.

Table of Contents

Cast of Main Characters xi

Prologue xvii

Part 1 The Landing 1

Part 2 The Hills 71

Part 3 The Collapse 179

Part 4 The Aftermath 227

Acknowledgments 265

Bibliography 268

Index 275

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