Alger, R. A. (Russell Alexander), 1836-1907

Creation Date

1906-01-15

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from Henry T. Allen to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry T. Allen is impressed that Roger Williams is willing to take the Lieutenant Colonelcy over the Colonelcy, which is similar to his decision to serve as Lieutenant-Colonel under Colonel Wood.

Collection

Allen, Henry T. (Henry Tureman), 1859-1930

Creation Date

1915-06-29

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Munroe Smith

Theodore Roosevelt tells Professor Smith that Roosevelt did make his proposal to McKinley at a Cabinet meeting and that R. A. Alger supported it, and Lyman J. Gage did not. Roosevelt thinks highly of the “Carnegie Peace Endowment” since they have ordered extra copies of Smith’s article.

Collection

Creation Date

1915-05-03

Creator(s)

Letter from John W. McGrath to William B. Beam

John W. McGrath, secretary to Theodore Roosevelt, points out the chapter of the Autobiography in which Roosevelt asserted that the incompetency of the War Department was due to lack of adequate preparation. Roosevelt knows nothing about the resignation of a member of the Cabinet or refusal of a Cabinet member to accept a re-appointment, which was asserted by the recipient of the letter. To make R. A. Alger a scapegoat was in the opinion of Roosevelt an injustice.

Collection

McGrath, John W. (John William), 1891-1924

Creation Date

1915-03-24

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. Edward Bland

President Roosevelt regrets not being able to attend Michigan Senator R. A. Alger’s funeral.

Collection

Creation Date

1907-04-06

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Truman Handy Newberry

President Roosevelt shares with Truman Handy Newberry that he was able to tell Senator R. A. Alger of his intention. The only stipulation is that Secretary of the Navy Paul Morton must not object. Roosevelt does not believe this will be an issue, but will consult with Morton “at an early opportunity.”

Collection

Creation Date

1905-02-12

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John C. Spooner

President Roosevelt was interested to learn that Senator Spooner was present when General Alger offered Roosevelt command of the Rough Riders, which Roosevelt turned down in favor of Leonard Wood. Roosevelt would like to hear Spooner’s memory of the incident.

Collection

Creation Date

1903-12-05

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root

President Roosevelt encloses a letter from Senator R. A. Alger and asks Secretary of War Root to follow Alger’s suggestion and “call the men together” in order to select a “first-class man in the third place.” Roosevelt also concedes to the cancellation of Henry Lippencott’s appointment.

Collection

Creation Date

1903-08-01

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Pitcher

President Roosevelt is glad to hear about the dogs and doubts Senator Alger’s opinion that soft snow will prevent outdoor activities.

Collection

Creation Date

1903-03-18

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry C. Payne

President Roosevelt considers the protests against Russell Alger to be serious and wants Postmaster General Payne to take up the matter.

Collection

Creation Date

1902-06-02

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Brander Matthews

President Roosevelt is frustrated with the controversy involving General Miles and Admiral Schley. He believes that individuals involved on both sides have behaved poorly, but especially the people who support Schley. They simply will not listen to reason. Roosevelt feels that instead of court-martialing several men an “effort was made to make things pleasant for everybody.” No good has come of the situation.

Collection

Creation Date

1901-12-31

Creator(s)

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt sends Frederik Courteney Selous maps of Montana and Wyoming to use on his upcoming hunting trip to the region around Yellowstone National Park. Roosevelt has marked these maps with the routes he believes he had taken when he hunted in the areas, but he is unsure of their accuracy. Roosevelt informs Selous of the areas where he successfully hunted various big game animals, such as elk, bighorn sheep, and wolves.

Collection

Creation Date

1897-05-18

Creator(s)

Telegram from Robert Bacon to David E. Thompson

Assistant Secretary of State Bacon agrees to the positioning of war vessels off the coast to protect the interests of the United States. Bacon advises David E. Thompson, Ambassador to Mexico, to telegraph Secretary of War Russell Alger regarding the acts of El Salvador which indicate wanton aggression. Peace may be secured through moral pressure by the United States and Mexico.

Collection

Creation Date

1906-07-12

Creator(s)

Bacon, Robert, 1860-1919

Letter from John C. Bates to Theodore Roosevelt

John C. Bates received a confidential note from Senator R. A. Alger informing them that he is to be named Chief of Staff of the Army after Adna Romanza Chaffee retires. Bates thanks President Roosevelt for the honor.

Collection

Bates, John C. (John Coalter), 1842-1919

Creation Date

1905-03-21

Creator(s)

Wright’s Official History of the Spanish-American War

This exhaustively illustrated account of the Spanish-American war seeks to present the official history of the war according to the United States War Records Office. It encompasses the events leading up to the war, the war itself, as well as its resolution and aftermath. While it mentions the various engagements taking place during the war, most of the focus is on Cuba and the action of the United States Navy and Army in fighting Spanish forces there in support of Cuban rebels. It additionally includes general information on the theaters of war, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

Collection

Smithsonian

Creation Date

1900

Creator(s)

Wright, Marcus J. (Marcus Joseph), 1831-1922

Forgotten fragments (#7): The second Battle of San Juan Hill

Publication Date

2023-10-05

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Magazine article

Rights

No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.edu.

News and notes

“News and Notes” opens with a report on the campaign to gain the Medal of Honor for Theodore Roosevelt to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of San Juan Hill in 1998. The report discusses why Roosevelt was denied the medal in the aftermath of the war, and it highlights the work of the campaign’s Congressional sponsors. The article quotes historians Edmund Morris and Nathan Miller from their endorsements of the effort. “News and Notes” reports that Hall of Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson was named Jack Roosevelt Robinson at his birth in 1919 in honor of Roosevelt. Three brief obituaries close out the section.

Collection

Creation Date

1997

Creator(s)

Unknown

The Case Against Awarding TR The Medal of Honor

John A. Gable critiques a book and an article that have been cited to undermine the case for awarding Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor. Gable considers Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan: The Making of a President by Harold Samuels and Peggy Samuels and an article by military historian Mitchell A. Yockelson. Gable argues that the panel considering the merits of Roosevelt’s case should consider these works so that they can see the weakness of the argument against awarding Roosevelt the medal. Gable highlights some of the deficiencies in each of these works and refers to the Samuels’s book as “a blatant hatchet job.”

A photograph of Gable with Tweed Roosevelt and two photographs of the Roosevelt Rough Rider equestrian statue in Portland, Oregon, supplement the letter.

Collection

Medal of Honor Awarded to Theodore Roosevelt

Report on the successful effort to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Theodore Roosevelt for his actions during the Battle of San Juan on July 1, 1898. The report details the history of the efforts to secure the medal for Roosevelt dating back to the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, and it closely examines the renewed efforts since 1996, highlighting the work of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and numerous members of Congress. The report also covers the White House ceremonies of January 16, 2001 presided over by President Bill Clinton, and it includes coverage of the heroics of Andrew Jackson Smith who was also posthumously awarded the medal for his actions during the Civil War. A history of the Rough Rider regiment, Clinton’s remarks at the ceremony, and the citation accompanying Roosevelt’s medal are included in the report.

Five photographs from the medal ceremony and two of Roosevelt appear in the article.

Collection

The irresistible force and the immovable object: Theodore Roosevelt and Lt. Gen. Nelson A. Miles

James B. Martin examines the tumultuous relationship between Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles and President Theodore Roosevelt during the first two years of Roosevelt’s administration. Martin details Miles’s impressive record as a field officer, earning the Medal of Honor during the Civil War, and he shows how he was not as well prepared to fight bureaucratic battles in Washington, D.C., as the Commanding General of the Army. Martin looks at the issues that caused a breach between Miles and Roosevelt, including Miles’s criticism of American actions in the Philippines. Martin covers the role played by Secretaries of War Russell A. Alger and Elihu Root, and he lays most of the blame for the Miles-Roosevelt dispute at the feet of Miles, but he does note that Roosevelt’s large ego and decision not to forcibly retire Miles contributed to the feud.

Photographs of Miles and Root appear in the article. An article box on page eleven notes that this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal is dedicated to Oliver R. Grace.

Collection