The Triumphant Life of Theodore Roosevelt edited by J. Martin Miller

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THE ROUGH RIDERS
the weary, monotonous labor incident to the ordinary routine
of the soldier's life; that they must be ready to face fever
exactly as they were to face bullets; that they were to obey
unquestioningly, and to do their duty as readily if called upon
to garrison a fort as if sent to the front. I warned them that
work that was merely irksome and disagreeable must be faced
as readily as work that was dangerous, and that no complaint
of any kind must be made; and I told them that they were
entirely at liberty not to go, but that after they had once
signed there could then be no backing out. Not a man of
them backed out; not one of them failed to do his whole
duty."
But these men formed but a small portion of the regiment,
the bulk of which came from the Territories. Magnificent
specimens of humanity, inured to hardship, unerring shots,
ideal horsemen, accustomed to outdoor life, the freedom of
the frontier and the rude discipline of the ranch or mining
camp; they were difficult men to handle, save by leaders who
had demonstrated their ability in that direction.
HOW THE REGIMENT WAS OFFICERED
Thus it was that the officers of the regiment were men who
had either fought against the Indians, or had taken the field
against the more desperate white outlaws of the plains. The
captain of Troop A was Bucky O'Neill, the mayor of Prescott,
Arizona; then there was Captain Llewellyn of New Mexico,
one of the most celebrated peace officers of the country;
Lieutenant Ballard, who broke up the notorious Black Jack
gang; Captain Curry, a New Mexican sheriff, and a sprinkling
of men who had been sheriffs, marshals, deputy sheriffs and
deputy marshals. Three of the higher officers in the regi-
ment had served in the regular army. One was Major