Barnaby Breaks History 🇺🇸@CorpBarnaby
🇺🇸 Most Badass Presidents: Combat Veteran Edition #7 Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President, was one badass President.
He is the only U.S. President ever awarded the Medal of Honor.
Born October 27, 1858, in New York City.
He was crippled by severe asthma as a child.
When he was 12 years old, his father looked him in the eye and said, "You have the mind, but you have not the body. You must make your body."
Roosevelt took this literally.
He built a gym in his home and began weightlifting, hiking, and boxing to transform his frail frame.
When war with Spain erupted in 1898 he was working as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
He quit his post and personally recruited and trained the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry.
They were a wild mix of cowboys, athletes, Native Americans, and Ivy Leaguers.
They would become the Rough Riders.
Roosevelt was commissioned lieutenant colonel but soon took full command as colonel.
He had his own uniform privately tailored by the high-end retailer Brooks Brothers in Boston.
They got to Cuba on June 22, 1898 and waded ashore through the surf.
Their first action occurred at the Battle of Las Guasimas.
Roosevelt led his squadron along a high-ridge trail to strike the enemy's right flank.
He survived a close call when a bullet struck a tree inches from his cheek.
The impact sprayed wooden splinters into his face.
On July 1, 1898, at the Battle of San Juan Hill, Roosevelt and his men were pinned down under a heavy Spanish artillery barrage.
A fragment of shrapnel from an exploding shell sliced into his wrist.
He ignored the injury, bled through a temporary dressing, and eventually got orders to attack.
He unleashed a furious, highly aggressive assault.
He mounted his warhorse ‘Little Texas’ that he purchased directly from the U.S. Army Quartermaster and moved forward.
They encountered regular U.S. Army infantry troops who had been ordered to hold their positions.
Roosevelt yelled to their commander, "If you guys won't lead, get out of the way so my men can pass!"
When the officer hesitated, Roosevelt said, "Then let my men through, sir!" and surged past them.
He drew his revolver, waved his hat, and yelled for his men to follow him.
As they charged across the open valley, Roosevelt was the only man riding a horse. He was a massive target.
Forty yards from the crest of Kettle Hill, he ran directly into a thick barbed wire fence.
As he scrambled off Little Texas to clear the wire, a Spanish bullet grazed his left elbow.
He tied his horse to the fence and charged the remaining distance on foot.
Roosevelt was one of the first three men to reach the trenches at the top of Kettle Hill.
He personally shot and killed a Spanish soldier using his revolver.
Next he set his sights on San Juan Hill.
He yelled for a second charge, but in the din of battle, only five men heard him.
Three were instantly shot down.
Roosevelt ran back down the hill and rallied a larger force of soldiers.
They stormed up the steep slopes of San Juan Hill, overwhelmed the final Spanish positions and secured the heights above Santiago.
He was immediately recommended for the Medal of Honor but denied for political reasons.
It was finally awarded posthumously in 2001.
By late July, nearly 80% of the American force was infected or sick with malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid fever.
Roosevelt broke military protocol and drafted the famous "Round Robin" letter.
It demanded that the government immediately evacuate the troops before the entire army died of disease.
This pressure forced Washington to pull the troops out.
He had spent 46 days in Cuba.
Roosevelt brought Little Texas back home to live out his days peacefully at his Sagamore Hill estate.
He fought for the Republic before he ever stepped foot in the White House.
Thank you, Mr. President! 🇺🇸🫡
