The Crowded Hour

Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century

Clay Risen

• Publisher: Scribner
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781501144004
• eBook ISBN:
  9781501144011
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military Biographies
• Index: History

A NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2019 SELECTION

The dramatic story of the most famous regiment in American history: the Rough Riders, a motley group of soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt, whose daring exploits marked the beginning of American imperialism in the 20th century.

When America declared war on Spain in 1898, the US Army had just 26,000 men, spread around the country—hardly an army at all. In desperation, the Rough Riders were born. A unique group of volunteers, ranging from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys and led by Theodore Roosevelt, they helped secure victory in Cuba in a series of gripping, bloody fights across the island. Roosevelt called their charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill his “crowded hour”—a turning point in his life, one that led directly to the White House. “The instant I received the order,” wrote Roosevelt, “I sprang on my horse and then my ‘crowded hour’ began.” As The Crowded Hour reveals, it was a turning point for America as well, uniting the country and ushering in a new era of global power.

Both a portrait of these men, few of whom were traditional soldiers, and of the Spanish-American War itself, The Crowded Hour dives deep into the daily lives and struggles of Roosevelt and his regiment. Using diaries, letters, and memoirs, Risen illuminates a disproportionately influential moment in American history: a war of only six months’ time that dramatically altered the United States’ standing in the world. In this brilliant, enlightening narrative, the Rough Riders—and a country on the brink of a new global dominance—are brought fully and gloriously to life.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• The Composition of the Fifth Corps, United States Army
• The Route of the Fifth Corps from Tampa to Cuba, June 1898
• Introduction: New York City, 1899
• Chapter 1: “The Puerility of His Simplifications”
• Chapter 2: “One Does Not Make War with Bonbons”
• Chapter 3: “A Burst of Thunder”
• Chapter 4: “The Days of ’61 Have Indeed Come Again”
• Chapter 5: “This Untailor-Made Roughness”
• Chapter 6: “A Perfect Welter of Confusion”
• Chapter 7: “Who Would Not Risk His Life for a Star?”
• Chapter 8: “No Country on the Earth More Beautiful”
• Chapter 9: “We’re Liable to All Be Killed Today”
• Chapter 10: “The Monotony of Continuous Bacon”
• Chapter 11: “An Amphitheater for the Battle”
• Chapter 12: “Humpty-Dumpty on the Wall”
• Chapter 13: “They Look Just Like Other Men”
• Chapter 14: “The Strenuous Life”
• Photographs
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright