Into action with the Rough Riders -- The push to Santiago and San Juan Hill -- Surrender, occupation, and homeward bound -- Footloose and free -- The Buffalo Bill Show -- Cowboys, characters, and show shenanigans -- Back home in Oklahoma -- To the last man

After just four weeks of training, Colonel Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders--a regiment of cowboys recruited into the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry--fought in Cuba during the Spanish-American War with the skill of seasoned regulars. The unit reflected the future president's character as a wealthy Ivy Leaguer who went west to experience frontier life. Most of the Rough Riders were seasoned cowhands from the Southwest, but Ivy League athletes, sons of millionaires and lawmen filled out the ranks. Roosevelt molded this diverse group into a cohesive, efficient fighting force and led them to victory on San Juan Hill. Told from the perspective of the men in the regiment, this book traces the history of the Rough Riders from conception to disbanding, and Roosevelt's transformation into an American hero.

Based on a pocket diary from the Spanish-American War, this tough-as-nails 1899 memoir abounds in patriotic valor and launched the future President into the American consciousness.

From Amelia Earhart's arrest to the croquet mallet that foiled Bonnie and Clyde, Joe M. Cummings reveals the hidden depths of Oklahoma's tall tales. Oklahoma has no shortage of tall tales chock full of truth, however unlikely it might seem. Puzzle over Geronimo's three skulls. Examine the beer bottle that suckered town leaders on April Fools' Day or join the mad rush of a hundred thousand person race. Accompany the governor who went to the White House and boxed the President. Untangle the hideouts and shootouts of notorious outlaws like the Dalton Gang. Retrieve the kind of lore that is buried alongside Oklahoma's legends.

THE AWARD-WINNING, NEW DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH RIDERS "Thrilling. ... A CLASSIC." —True West WINNER: Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award; New Mexico-Arizona Book Award; and Colorado Book Award The now-legendary Rough Riders were a volunteer regiment recruited in 1898 to help drive the Spaniards out of Cuba. Drawn from America’s southwestern territories and led by the irrepressible Theodore Roosevelt, these men included not only cowboys and other Westerners, but also several Ivy Leaguers and clubmen, many of them friends of “TR.” Roosevelt and his men quickly came to symbolize American ruggedness, daring, and individualism. He led them to victory in the famed Battle of San Juan Hill, which made TR a national hero and cemented the Rough Riders’ iconic place in history. Now Mark Lee Gardner synthesizes previously unknown primary accounts—private letters, diaries, and period newspaper reports from public and private archives across the country—to breathe fresh life into the Rough Riders and pay tribute to their daring feats and indomitable leader.