Rough Riders | Page 9

only the wagon-sheet as an occasional house.
They had fared hard when exploring the unknown; they had fared well
on the round-up; and they had known the plenty of the log
ranch-houses, where the tables were spread with smoked venison and
calf-ribs and milk and bread, and vegetables from the garden-patch.
Such were the men we had as recruits: soldiers ready made, as far as
concerned their capacity as individual fighters. What was necessary
was to teach them to act together, and to obey orders. Our special task
was to make them ready for action in the shortest possible time. We
were bound to see fighting, and therefore to be with the first expedition
that left the United States; for we could not tell how long the war would
last.
I had been quite prepared for trouble when it came to enforcing
discipline, but I was agreeably disappointed. There were plenty of hard
characters who might by themselves have given trouble, and with one

or two of whom we did have to take rough measures; but the bulk of
the men thoroughly understood that without discipline they would be
merely a valueless mob, and they set themselves hard at work to learn
the new duties. Of course, such a regiment, in spite of, or indeed I
might almost say because of, the characteristics which made the
individual men so exceptionally formidable as soldiers, could very
readily have been spoiled. Any weakness in the commander would
have ruined it. On the other hand, to treat it from the stand-point of the
martinet and military pedant would have been almost equally fatal.
From the beginning we started out to secure the essentials of discipline,
while laying just as little stress as possible on the non-essentials. The
men were singularly quick to respond to any appeal to their intelligence
and patriotism. The faults they committed were those of ignorance
merely. When Holderman, in announcing dinner to the Colonel and the
three Majors, genially remarked, "If you fellars don't come soon,
everything'll get cold," he had no thought of other than a kindly and
respectful regard for their welfare, and was glad to modify his form of
address on being told that it was not what could be described as
conventionally military. When one of our sentinels, who had with much
labor learned the manual of arms, saluted with great pride as I passed,
and added, with a friendly nod, "Good-evening, Colonel," this variation
in the accepted formula on such occasions was meant, and was
accepted, as mere friendly interest. In both cases the needed instruction
was given and received in the same kindly spirit.
One of the new Indian Territory recruits, after twenty-four hours' stay
in camp, during which he had held himself distinctly aloof from the
general interests, called on the Colonel in his tent, and remarked, "Well,
Colonel, I want to shake hands and say we're with you. We didn't know
how we would like you fellars at first; but you're all right, and you
know your business, and you mean business, and you can count on us
every time!"
That same night, which was hot, mosquitoes were very annoying; and
shortly after midnight both the Colonel and I came to the doors of our
respective tents, which adjoined one another. The sentinel in front was
also fighting mosquitoes. As we came out we saw him pitch his gun
about ten feet off, and sit down to attack some of the pests that had
swarmed up his trousers' legs. Happening to glance in our direction, he

nodded pleasantly and, with unabashed and friendly feeling, remarked,
"Ain't they bad?"
It was astonishing how soon the men got over these little peculiarities.
They speedily grew to recognize the fact that the observance of certain
forms was essential to the maintenance of proper discipline. They
became scrupulously careful in touching their hats, and always came to
attention when spoken to. They saw that we did not insist upon the
observance of these forms to humiliate them; that we were as anxious
to learn our own duties as we were to have them learn theirs, and as
scrupulous in paying respect to our superiors as we were in exacting the
acknowledgment due our rank from those below us; moreover, what
was very important, they saw that we were careful to look after their
interests in every way, and were doing all that was possible to hurry up
the equipment and drill of the regiment, so as to get into the war.
Rigid guard duty was established at once, and everyone was impressed
with the necessity for vigilance and watchfulness. The policing of the
camp was likewise attended to with the utmost rigor. As always with
new troops, they were at first indifferent to the necessity for cleanliness