Your TR Source
These are notes Theodore Roosevelt gave his sister Corinne when he lectured to her on the Civil War, as indicated in a note from Corinne on page 5. Handwritten notes and typed transcript. Roosevelt talked about General Philip Henry Sheridan and how he turned untrained soldiers into experienced troops.
1890
Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit and daughter-in-law Belle to say Archie Roosevelt has returned home. He tells Kermit having to spend three months in school is a small price to pay for being able to join the American army so quickly and tells Belle to take care of herself. Roosevelt says he is still giving speeches about speeding up the war and having a total victory. He has also acted as a guide to some soldiers who visited from Camp Mills.
1918-09-08
Theodore Roosevelt tells General Wood that he looks forward to receiving copies of Scientific American. Roosevelt shares a statistic he learned from General McCoskry Butt, namely that most Civil War soldiers were under 25. Roosevelt gleans from this that older men are useless unless they are trained. Roosevelt further complains that states that support President Wilson in military unpreparedness are the most warlike and the most likely to antagonize a nation into war. He cites how California insults Japan for example.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1915-03-03
Major Allen praises the comments made by President Roosevelt about the army and the needs of the service in his message to Congress. He particularly approves of Roosevelt’s point that the army must be physically ready for battle, and that the standing army should be adequately staffed with trained soldiers to meet a crisis. He will be hunting mountain lions which have been notably scarce this year, and admires the “soldier’s temperament” of Yellowstone Park supervisor General S. B. M. Young, noting “West Point cannot give it.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-12-08
Superintendent Young of Yellowstone National Park describes actions he has taken to ensure that the officers, soldiers and scouts on duty observe and enforce park rules. Although there have been challenges retaining enlisted men, in three months he has been able to convict eleven poachers, including a non commissioned officer. Young describes the difficulties of working with state game wardens, and he hopes that being a civilian administrator in a position higher than that of the officer selected to command the troops does not breed resentment.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-12-06
President Roosevelt tells Army Chief of Staff Bell about Leonard Wood’s update about the recent field training. Roosevelt requests that Bell create a report of the commands which have had trouble with the practice marches.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-17
In Detroit, Michigan, President Roosevelt addresses a crowd of veterans of the Spanish-American War, telling them Mayor William C. Maybury’s invitation to speak to them was the first Roosevelt had accepted that fall. After joking that in the Spanish-American War “there was not enough war to go around,” Roosevelt notes with seriousness that veterans of that conflict hope they showed the same spirit and worthiness as the “men of Appomattox.” Using anecdotes from their military service, Roosevelt reminds them that as with soldiers, good citizens come from all walks of life and that the drudgery of hard work comes before heroism in battle. He urges the testing of oneself and one’s neighbors by “the essential instead of the non-essential qualities in each man.” He also highlights the need for modern military training and weapons but emphasizes that the character of the soldier is even more important. Finally, Roosevelt praises the United States’ actions and motives in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines and pledges the best results for the people of the Philippines in particular.
President Roosevelt thanks James Manning Hilton for his recent letter, passed along by William Loeb, regarding an address to the New York State National Guard Association. Manning shared a draft of his address with Roosevelt, and among its topics, Manning references his service with Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.
1904-07-24
Theodore Roosevelt believes Commander of the USS San Francisco Belknap’s article should be published in The Outlook but advises him to send it directly himself and not ask Roosevelt to submit it for him. He agrees with Belknap about the “silliness” of a remark by Harvard president Charles William Eliot regarding the need to break a man’s will, to train him as a soldier.
1915-10-27
Theodore Roosevelt writes to Elizabeth Chanler Chapman that the men who wish to go with him to France would not go if they thought he was only going to train them and not have them fight. He says he has asked permission to go to France with the men to train and then to the front at the earliest possible moment.
1917-05-01
Theodore Roosevelt agrees that the Germans are not likely to revolt against their government due to the German character. He also blames the president for the lack of winter shoes for the troops in Europe and inadequate training equipment in the camps.
1917-12-18
Theodore Roosevelt agrees with Archie Roosevelt’s view of the war, although he does not think it will last as long as Archie does. Roosevelt writes of how the elderly regular officers are no longer suited for this war and how the volunteer troops are better prepared in his own unit. He also mentions how pleased they are with Grace Stackpole Lockwood Roosevelt.
1917-09-08