Here is a column I wrote, under the pen-name of Desiderius Erasmus an old Dutch philosopher, for a monthly Illinois newsletter on the Second Amendment. Old Desiderius’ motto was In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King, which meant that you didn’t have to be perfect in your skillset, just better than your opponent. In Latin, the phrase is “in regione caecorum rex est luscus.”
History is important. By understanding the past we can better see the future.
In regione caecorum rex est luscus
In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King
By “Desiderius Erasmus,” a GSL member
Rough Riders
Just watched the 25-year-old TNT miniseries, “Rough Riders” for about the sixth time. It’s about future President Theodore Roosevelt and a regiment he joined, known as the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry, but forever remembered as the Rough Riders, and their bravery at the Battle of San Juan Hill, part of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Actually, much of their fight was at adjacent Kettle Hill, but a hill, is a hill, is a hill. It’s also sort of a gun movie.
You’ll see Americans armed with Colt 1873 Peacemakers, and Springfield 1896 Krag-Jørgensen rifles. The production had the Spaniards using Chilean Mauser rifles in 7x57mm, when actually they had 1893 Spanish Mausers that were quite accurate. Colonel Leonard Wood examines one of the captured rifles and snap shoots a Spanish sniper in a tree within seconds! There are all kinds of machine guns, artillery, heavy caliber Gatling guns, whose projectiles actually made them machine cannons of a sort.
The stars of the series, though, are the actors. Gary Busey plays Major General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Wheeler, under whom the Rough Riders are assigned. Age 62 in 1898, Wheeler had served back in the Civil War as the senior cavalry general in the Army of Tennessee, in the CONFEDERATE ARMY!
By the mid-1890s, he is a member of the US House of Representatives from Alabama. A true cavalryman, he sported a decent-length white beard (although Busey doesn’t), and epitomizes the phrase: “Ready, Fire, Aim” rather than “Ready, Aim, Fire!” and endlessly refers to the Spaniards as Yankees! In my opinion, he steals the show.
Tom Berenger plays Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and the future president is a “force of nature” sticking his nose into everything – one of those rare individuals who can get along with 2-3 hours of sleep a night. You’ll come to two conclusions after seeing his portrayal: first, now I know why Teddy is on Mt. Rushmore; and second, thank goodness he was not in his prime today, or he would be diagnosed with ADD and half a dozen other ailments, put on a ton of meds he really didn’t need, and the country would have lost a true over-achiever.
A third major actor, Sam Elliott, stars as Captain William Owen “Bucky” O’Neill. In addition to bringing his famous moustache and voice to the role, he plays the hard-ass trainer who must teach the men how to kill in combat.
“Rough Riders” is a story about America, in part because the soldiers came from all over, including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and even some rich kids from New York (one – William Tiffany – yep, that family) received a shipment of two M1895 Colt-Browning machine guns from his father during training. So William got to be the section sergeant commanding the two guns!
You’ll see a Navaho, Lakota, Mexican in the ranks, and when you see their sister regiment, also charging up San Juan Hill beside them, to be the famed Black, segregated, 10th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers”, you’ll meet First Lieutenant John J. “Black Jack” Pershing in command of a troop; twenty years later, Pershing will lead US forces in Europe in World War I and be the only American to be promoted in his own lifetime to General of the Armies, regarded as a six-star general.
The actual war was a real pain in the rear; bumbling logistics, not enough troop trains to deploy the units to Florida, and not enough timely ships to take them from there to Cuba. Then there were Yellow Fever (called Yellow Jack in the series) and Typhoid Fever, real scourges, until US Army physician Major Walter Reed started solving what caused them.
And finally, the Army commander of the overall operation, Major General William Rufus “Pecos Bill” Shafter, didn’t cover himself in glory (although he had won a Medal of Honor in the Civil War). You can kind of predict that when your commander is approaching 63, weighs over 300 pounds, and suffers from gout. Although they did land at Daiquiri on the southern coast of Cuba, and the name took off as a popular cocktail once introduced at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. in 1909. So that’s redeeming.
The Spanish-American War introduced the US as a potential world power, and the Rough Riders played a key role in that opening act. It’s a great miniseries. But a spoiler alert. You’re going to laugh; you’re going to cheer; and unfortunately you may shed a few tears as well – especially during two scenes.
The first occurs when the Rough Riders board a train at San Antonio to ride across the South to Florida, discovering in their journey that the wounds of the Civil War have started to heal, while a lady sings “Garryowen” in the background.
The second happens at the base of Kettle Hill just before the charge. The Rough Riders and Buffalo Soldiers are getting raked by murderous enemy fire, when the soldiers start singing “The Minstrel Boy”. Both scenes show why America is so great and why our history will never die. But get the crying towel ready, and the Daiquiri!