South African War (1899-1902)

A long range assault

A devilish-looking man holding an ink-tipped quill labeled “French Press” stands on a pedestal labeled “Paris,” gleefully kicking up his left foot labeled “Insults” toward the British Lion, in the background, who is engaged in war in the Transvaal. Behind the “French Press” is a press spewing “Venomous Articles” and “Spite Cartoons.” Caption: French Press–Me kick at the British Lion? Boo! Who’s afraid? Fashodia [sic] is avenged!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1900-01-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Johan W. Colenbrander

Theodore Roosevelt has heard good things about Johan W. Colenbrander’s conduct in the South African War and would be happy for Colenbrander to refer to him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Scott Oliver

Theodore Roosevelt has not received copies of Frederick Scott Oliver’s book yet, but he believes he will be in agreement with it. He bemoans the inaction of President Woodrow Wilson in response to Germany’s invasion of Belgium. He comments on the movement for universal disarmament and a League of Peace, which he believes wrong-headed and ineffective.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-06-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frank Nelson Doubleday

President Roosevelt thanks Frank Nelson Doubleday for sending him a volume of short stories by Rudyard Kipling. Roosevelt was disappointed that some of his favorite stories about soldiers in the South African War were not included and asks Doubleday to find out where he might obtain copies. Roosevelt also states that if he does not get a tutor from Harvard, he will write to young Parker.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Brander Matthews

President Roosevelt sends Brander Matthews an excerpt of a letter that Edith Wharton sent Henry Cabot Lodge. The excerpt focuses on Wharton discussing George Otto Trevelyan’s history of the American Revolution with a soldier who participated in the South African War.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Earl Grey

President Roosevelt would like to know if Earl Grey has any insider information on affairs in South Africa. Roosevelt hopes that the situation in Africa will settle down because he believes that the British and Boers will eventually “tend to amalgamate.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-11-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Montagu White

President Roosevelt will seek to privately “better the South African situation.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-11-06

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Wheeler

President Roosevelt found the report on British casualties in the South African War to be interesting. Roosevelt believes that the British percentage of loss during the fighting was considerably less than during the American Civil War or at the battle of San Juan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-08-05

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John St. Loe Strachey

President Roosevelt is looking forward to John St. Loe Strachey’s visit to Washington, D.C. Roosevelt has been occupied over an Alaskan boundary dispute with Canada and is not inclined to compromise since he believes that the Canadians do not have a “leg to stand on.” Roosevelt also met with some Boer prisoners with whom he sympathized, describing the men as “admirable stock out of which to make a nation.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-07-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John St. Loe Strachey

President Roosevelt is pleased that the Second Boer War has ended and suggests that a complete amnesty eventually be given to the “Cape Colony insurgents” similar to what happened to Confederate soldiers after the American Civil War.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-06-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Andrew Carnegie

President Roosevelt would like to see Andrew Carnegie to discuss “Cape affairs” and the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-06-13

Letter from Edward Reeve Merritt to Theodore Roosevelt

Edward Reeve Merritt encloses a $750 check from an unnamed committee where he serves as treasurer. The money is for Boer victims of the South African War and is to be distributed by President Roosevelt. Merritt requests that most of the money go towards relief in the Orange Free State, the often forgotten ally of the South African Republic (Transvaal).

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-05-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herman Speck von Sternburg

President Roosevelt agrees with Herman Speck von Sternburg’s positions on mounted infantry. He believes cavalry forces should constitute a larger portion of standing armies and that modern cavalry troops must posses far greater skill than “the old-style cavalryman.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Hay

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of State John Hay to ensure the enclosed $200 is delivered to Mrs. Sarah Viljoen Snyman. He is concerned she is in dire poverty after hearing of her living condition from Commandant Wilhelm Snyman.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philip Battell Stewart

Vice President Roosevelt wants to meet the “Spokane brother-in-law” when he arrives. Roosevelt supports the Isthmian Canal and has done so publicly. He had a good time in Vermont with Stewart’s father even though their time was cut short by the attempted assassination of President McKinley. Roosevelt is confident McKinley will recover.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

Governor Roosevelt very much liked Frederick Courteney Selous’s book, though he was saddened to read of the loss of elk and deer in the forests. Roosevelt hopes that peace comes to South Africa soon and the races can amalgamate as they have in the United States. Although Roosevelt finds the office of Vice President to be “distasteful,” he was glad to have done his part against a “dangerous and unAmerican party movement.” Roosevelt hopes to hunt somewhere in the Southwest prior to the inauguration.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1900-11-23

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

Vice President Roosevelt describes his recent hunting trip to Colorado. Roosevelt is saddened that the Boer War is still ongoing and wishes Frederick Courteney Selous had been administrator of all South Africa because Roosevelt feels that Selous could bring about peace.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-03-08

Letter from William McKinley to Henry Cabot Lodge

President McKinley writes to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for President and accepts the platform. He discusses his desire to uphold the gold standard and refutes the opinions of those who support the silver standard. He also comments on international affairs, including the territorial government in Alaska and Hawaii, war loans from the Spanish American War, neutrality policies in the Boer War, law and order in Cuba, and holdings in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. He also comments on domestic issues including civil service reform, the volume of United States currency, and domestic shipping. Finally, McKinley comments on insurrection and peace treaties in the Philippines, asserting his desire for peace and that no person be “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1900-09-10

Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt

Sir Cecil Spring Rice writes a friendly letter to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt on a variety of topics. He understands what is happening, and says there is a similar movement in England. Spring Rice talks about the effects of an increased tariff at the end of the Boer War, and how it affected the national character of England. Common people suffered while businesses took advantage of things, similar to the situation in America. He believes that President Roosevelt may have greater moral force to provide an example of how to live once he leaves office, as his authority will be within his own character and not the office then. Spring Rice has been skiing recently, and has enjoyed his time and the people he has met. He wishes he could visit the United States, but does not think he will be able to soon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-16

Letter from Edward Grey to Theodore Roosevelt

British Foreign Secretary Grey informs President Roosevelt that Ambassador H. Mortimer Durand will be replaced, and while he understands Roosevelt’s desire to have Arthur Lee in his place, that is politically impossible. Temporarily, Esmé Howard will be sent to Washington as Councillor to the Embassy. Grey appreciated Roosevelt’s explanation of his telegram to German Emperor William after the Portsmouth Peace. Grey explains that his foreign policy is not anti-German, but to be independent he feels it necessary to strengthen the entente with France and come to an agreement with Russia. Grey believes that his generation has had enough of war, and the British people feel a special bond with the United States. Grey hopes the dispute between Canada and the United States over Newfoundland will soon be settled. He also adds that many in Great Britain are upset over reports of slavery and plunder in the Belgian Congo.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-04