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                  Rough Riders

                The U.S. Army of 1898 was a small professional force  scattered in posts throughout the counrty. American  troops  during the
Spanish-Cuban-American war, landed  on the    southeastern tip of Cuba at Daiquiri, near the city of Santiago. Among the U.S. Forces were the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry  under Lt Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, more commonly known as   the "Rough Riders," comprised of 20% from Arizona, New  Mexico and Oklahoma and Indian Territories.

                  [correction: Colonel Leonard Wood commanded the Rough Riders (not  Roosevelt) until he was promoted to Brigadier General the night before the attack on Kettle and San Juan Hill. At that time, he gave command of the  Rough Riders to Roosevelt.]

                  As might be expected, Hispanics were among those who served in the Rough Riders.
Among them were:

                                Private John B. Alamia,
                                Sergeant George W. Armijo,
                                Private G.W. Arringo,
                                Private Jose M. Baca, 
                                Private Frank C. Brito,
                                Private Jose Brito,
                                Private Abel B. Duran,
                                Private Joseph L. Duran,
                               Captain Maximiliano Luna,
                                Saddler Joe T. Sandoval

                  The Cuban revolutionaries had been fighting for three years under General Maximo Gomez, prior to the American landing.                   They anticipated that American support would tip the balance of power in their favor.

                   General Maximo Gomez was a prominent leader in the Ten Year's War, the major struggle for Cuban independence. He returned to Cuba in 1895 from exile and served as General-in-Chief in the final war for independence. he commanded all Cuban forces which cooperated with the American Army during the Spanish-American and Cuban war.

   By successfully waging a war of attrition and by using guerrilla    forces, the Cubans had managed to isolate the Spanish by    confining them to the cities and the blockhouses.

   General Anthony Maceo was a Cuban and a leader in the Ten    Year's War (1868-1878), the first major war for Cuban    independence. From exile in Costa Rica, he served as   second-in-comand to General-in-Chief Gomez, and fought in the   final revolt which began in 1895. He was a major antagonist to   the Spanish forces, but was finally trapped and killed in 1896, two   years before eventual freedom from Spain.
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