Rough Riders vs. Boer Commandos Part2: Rough Riders Background Bio and Arsenal Info

This is the regimental flag used by Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders.

Background Bio:

Arsenal Info:

Weapons:

Long Range [Primary]: Krag-Jorgensen 1896 Carbine

Range: 900 m/ 3,000 ft [effective]

Ammo: .30-40 Krag [smokeless powder, metal cartridge]

MAG: 5 rounds

Weight: 3.488 kg/ 7.75 lbs

Length: 1046.5 mm/ 41.2 in

Barrel Length: 558.8 mm/ 22 in

Action: Bolt Action

Rate of Fire: 20-30 rounds per minute

 The Rough Riders' first introduction to the Krag-Jorgensen 1896 Carbine (also an intro to their clothing/equipment and training)

Thanks to Roosevelt’s political influence/connections, one of the main reasons the Rough Riders were the only volunteer regiment able to see action, was because they had been properly equipped with current weapons used in the US Army. For the common soldier at the time, this was the (Springfield M1892/1899) Krag-Jorgensen. It was the first smokeless-powdered bolt-action rifle placed into (US Army) service. Since the Rough Riders were technically a cavalry unit, they carried the carbine form.

During the Spanish-American War, the Krag proved to be ill-suited in tropical climates, and was at a major disadvantage against the Mauser rifles used by the Spanish army [see Quality of Enemies]. Its complex design made it slower to load (compared to the Mauser), leaving American troops unable to match their opponents’ volume of fire. Eventually the Krag-Jorgensen (1892-1903) became the shortest-lived standard issue firearm served in US military history.

A closer look at the Krag-Jorgensen 1896 Carbine, Rifle and Springfield 1873 "Trapdoor" Rifle

 Long Range [Secondary]: Winchester 1895 Rifle

 The Military version of the Winchester model 1895 Rifle

Range: Unknown

Ammo: .30-40 Krag

MAG: 5 rounds (4 round internal magazine)

Weight: 4.1 kg/ 9 lbs

Length: 1,100 mm/ 42 in

Barrel Length: 710 mm/ 28 in

Action: Lever Action

Rate of Fire: Unknown

The Hunting/ Sporting version of the Winchester 1895 Rifle (the kind Theodore Roosevelt himself might have used)

Personally purchased and equipped by Teddy himself, this gun was given to all fellow officers in the Rough Riders. It would also be later used (in .405 Winchester) by Theodore Roosevelt during his 1909 safari, where he would refer to it as his “Medicine gun” for lions (and other wild African big game). This is perhaps the strongest lever-action rifle produced by Winchester. It was the first one designed for handling the more powerful smokeless-powder cartridges, and the first to have a box magazine (instead of the tubular magazine used by all previous Winchester rifle models).

The Winchester 1895 in .30-40 Krag (foreshadowing what we might see on the DW show)

Medium Range: Colt Model 1873 Artillery Single Action Army Revolver

Range: 100 yards? [Maximum]

Ammo: .45 Colt

MAG: 6 shot cylinder

Weight: Unknown

Length: 279 mm/ 11 in

Barrel Length: 5 ½ in

Action: Single Action revolver

Rate of Fire: Unknown

Famously known as the “Peacemaker”, the Rough Riders used this pistol, because the standard-issue Colt M1892 Double Action Revolver (.38) lacked enough stopping power (plus I think it went well with the whole “cowboy” image of Teddy and his Rough Riders).

To save myself some time and energy, I’m now going to let this old man [he played one, he played nick-knack with three colt guns. ;)] on the video below explain a little more about this wonderful weapon.

 The power of the Colt "Peacemaker"

Short Range: Rifle Butt-stock/ Pistol Whip, Bowie-Hunter Knife

Rifle Butt-stock/ Pistol Whip:

Weight: Depending on rifle or pistol

Length: Depending on weapon

Material: Wood (for rifle butt-stock), Metal (for pistol)

This (in my mind) is where the Rough Riders are going to shine at their best! Using firearms as bludgeoning weapons (whether they work, are loaded, or not), will be devastating and unexpected to the Boers (if they can get close enough to them).  

The Rough Riders (and other US troops) taking San Juan Hill. This video shows what the Rough Riders might do to the Boer Commandos face-to-face (along with special sneak-peeks at some of the weapons the Boer Commandos will be using)          

     
 Bowie Hunter Knife

Weight: .75 Lbs

Length: 8 in [12.5 in total length]

Material: Steel and Wood [handle]

A Modified version of the well known Bowie Knife. It was the cowboy's basic hunting/utility knife, that proved to be affective in combat too. Many of Roosevelt's Rough Riders would have brought along such knives during the Cuban campaign.  

 

Special/ Rare Weapons: M 1895 Colt-Browning Machine Gun, Gatling Gun

M1895 Colt-Browning Machine Gun

 Colt-Browning "Potato Digger" Machine Gun

Range: 4,500 yards [Maximum]

Ammo: 7 x 57 mm Mauser

Feed System: Belt

Weight: 16 kg [gun-body] + 25.4 kg [tripod]

Length: 1040 mm

Barrel Length: 711 mm

Action: Gas Operated

Rate of Fire: 400 rounds per minute 

Crew: 2-3 men

 This photo shows some of the Rough Riders with their two Colt-Browning Machine guns

This was the first successful gas-operated, air cooled machine gun. It was also the first machine gun to be used officially by the US military. Two of these “potato diggers” (nicknamed for its peculiar down-swinging arm, driven by a gas piston) were privately purchased by an unknown donor for the Rough Riders. 

The Boer Commandos will certainly be familiar with this weapon, since the British, and later Canadian, [see Boer Commandos- Quality of Enemies] volunteer mounted infantry units used it to a great effect against them.

Compared to other machine guns at the time (including the famous Maxim) that used a water-cooled design, the air-cooled Colt-Browning was lighter and more portable [it could be placed on a tripod, a single-horse carriage, a boat, etc]. Therefore requiring fewer men to carry and operate it. However, the lever-operated repeating action gave it a slow rate of fire (compared to the Maxim machine gun). Theodore Roosevelt himself pointed out that, 

“These Colt automatic guns were not, on the whole, very successful…they proved more delicate than the Gatlings and very readily got out of order.” 

The Rough Riders firing their Colt-Browning machine guns and a captured Maxim* from Kettle Hill, prior to their charge on San Juan. Here we can see the differences between these two guns *It must be noted however, that this 1997 film-for-television (created by TNT) has a couple of historical inaccuracies in it (as shown on the following clip). First, there were no German advisers involved in the Spanish-American War, and while the Spaniards may have had Maxim machine guns, none were ever used in the battle of the San Juan Heights. Both of these things were added on by the film-makers, for dramatic effects and to foreshadow World War 1. 

M 1895 10-barrel Gatling gun

 The M1895 Gatling gun in action. 1 of the 4 used in the Battle for San Juan Heights

Range: 600 yards?

Ammo: .30 Army (.30-40 Krag)

Feed System: Gravity fed stick magazine from a hopper. “Bruce”-style [with one magazine being fed and another reloading]. 20 cartridges per magazine

Weight: 27.2 kg

Length: 107.9 cm

Barrel Length: 67.3 cm

Action: Hand-cranked, 10-rotating barrel

Rate of Fire: 400-900 rounds per minute [average 700]

Crew: 4 men

 A closer view of the 10-barrel Gatling

Although the Rough Riders themselves didn’t use this weapon, it helped them to achieve victory during the battle of San Juan Hill. Under command of Lt. John H. Parker, four Gatling guns (three of them with swivel mounts were mainly used) gave suppressing fire (with a total of 18,000 rounds) at the Spanish entrenchments along Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill, with devastating results. The sound of the firing Gatling guns proved to be effective in raising the spirits of the Rough Riders, especially during their assault on Kettle Hill. When 600 Spanish troops tried to make a counter-attack, all but 40 were instantly killed by one of Parker’s Gatlings. This impressed Col. Roosevelt so much, he placed the two Colt-Browning machine guns (and the men who operated them) under Parker’s command. He would also give Parker most of the credit for winning the campaign.

Despite this great achievement, the Gatling gun has many flaws as well. Its large artillery carriage makes it difficult to support troops on the move in rugged terrain (such as Cuba, and definitely South Africa). As a manually operating battery/ machine gun, a person must continuously crank the handle in order for it to work. Being fed from vertical stick magazines requires more people to make sure a steady flow of ammo goes in. So while it can prove to be effective on an army-to-army scale (both in offensive as well as defensive), in a smaller squad-on-squad sized level, it is using a lot of man-power to function properly.

  The history of the Gatling gun, plus a totally wicked Gatling  "get-together" firing demonstration

Weapons Review:

Long Range: Krag-Jorgensen 1896 Carbine

Medium Range: 1895 Winchester Rifle

Short Range: Colt (Peacemaker) 1873 SAA Artillery Revolver

Extremely Close Range: Rifle Butt-stock/ Pistol Whip

Special/ Rare Weapons: 1895 Colt-Browning machine gun, 1895 Gatling gun

Armour/ Clothing/ Equipment:

Unlike their weapons and training, that was meant to match any regular military unit, the uniforms were designed to set them apart. It was through this “Rough and Ready” cowboy-cavalry appearance and charisma that lead to their well known nickname “Rough Riders”. 

Head: Slouched Hat, Handkerchief (wrapped loosely around the neck)

Body & Arms: Blue Flannel Shirt

Legs: Brown Trousers, Leggings, Boots

Blocking: Rifles

“X”-Factors/ Mind Set:

Taking the Heights at San Juan. This video shows almost all of the "X"-Factors of the Rough Riders, as well as their weapons and clothing.  

Tactics/ Strategy: 
Use of environment (for cover), Suppressing Fire, Skirmishes, Advancing in rushes, Bold and Daring Frontal Assaults, Close Quarter fighting 

Morale/ Motivation: Patriotism, Liberators,

Rules of Combat:

Ranks, Treating fellow Rough Riders (and allies) as equals, Spread out, Conserve Ammunition, No turning back (don’t tick-off Colonel Teddy!)

After the battle is over, a Rough Rider and Buffalo Soldier greet each other. As equals in arms, both put aside all racial prejudice, and are simply glad to be alive

The ranks of the Rough Riders were structured the same way as any regiment of the regular US Cavalry.

Since the Rough Riders came from many different backgrounds (both ethnic/racial and social), it was important for them to develop a sense of “equals in arms”. Both Comradeship and Patriotism made that possible, not only among them, but also with other units (see Quality of Allies) they fought with.

If there was one important lesson that the Civil war had brutally taught Americans (on both sides) it was; never use old-fashion tactics (marching/advancing shoulder-to-shoulder in bunched-up groups) against an enemy with modernized weapons! By spreading out while advancing, the Rough Riders (and other troops) were able to make less of a target for themselves. This might help them against the highly marksmanship of the Boer Commandos.

Training/ Experience/ Discipline: 

Volunteers (and some veterans) of diverse backgrounds, standard military-based training, highly disciplined  

Here is perhaps the major factor that will ensure victory in this match-up.

The Rough Riders were comprised of a variety of volunteer men; Cowboys, Native Americans, Miners/ Prospectors, Hunters, College Boys, Gamblers, Buffalo Soldiers, etc. All were able-bodied, experienced in horse-riding and shooting. Most of them came from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Indian Territory, since it was considered that the hot climate where they lived would be similar to Cuba.

Among these volunteers were also Lawmen and Regular Military Veterans (of the Civil War and Indian wars), who would make up the unit’s high-ranking officers. They had the experience, knowledge, and expertise to lead the rest of the men strongly and train them to perform like any regular military unit.

Training was very standard (even for a cavalry unit), another reason why they were the only volunteer regiment able to see action. They went through basic military drilling, protocol, and the disciplines of conduct, etiquette, and obedience. Luckily the men were eager to learn what was needed and so the training went smoothly. Improvements in their riding skills, shooting on horseback, practicing in formations as well as skirmishes were also done.

The high-ranking officers heavily studied books on tactics and drilling to better themselves in leading the men. Even during times of confined travel, or places where physical drilling was not adequate, further reading continued so that they were properly prepared for combat.      

 

Quality of Enemies:

Spanish Army:

The Defenders of San Juan Heights were troops from the Spanish Army (some of them had previously been involved at the Battle of Las Guasimas). With a number of roughly 750-760 (and 10,000 placed in reserve at the city of Santiago), most were newly arrived conscripts, while the officers were experienced in fighting Cuban insurgents. Armed with the Mauser 1891/93 rifles, and breech loading artillery, despite poorly placed entrenchments (and the fact that they lost), they were able to inflict heavy casualties on the American troops of (more than)1,400/ (roughly) 6,600!

 Spanish Soldiers held prisoner after the Battle of San Juan Hill

Quality of Allies:

The Victors of Kettle Hill. Left to Right, 3rd US Cavalry, 1st Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders with TR in the center), and 10th US Cavalry.

Lt. John H. “Gatling gun” Parker: See Gatling guns.

10^th US Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers):

Under command of Lt. John “Blackjack” Pershing (We’ll be seeing more of him in some of my other match-ups); this African-American regiment were perhaps the unsung heroes of the Battle of San Juan Hill (and along with other “Buffalo Soldier” regiments, throughout the entire Spanish-American War; five Medals of Honor would be given to them). They were the first US troops to reach the crest of Kettle Hill, and were the only unit that assaulted both high points of the San Juan Heights. 

1^st US Cavalry:

A Regular (dismounted) Cavalry regiment that fought with the Rough Riders (and Buffalo Soldiers) at the Battle of Las Guasimas.

3^rd US Cavalry: A Regular (dismounted) Cavalry regiment that fought alongside the Rough Riders and Buffalo Soldiers during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Cuban Rebels:

The true underdogs of the Spanish-American War (more so like the Boer Commandos), these people were fighting on their homeland to gain independence from Spanish Oppression.
It was through the help of Cuban scouts in the battle of Las Guasimas that General Wheeler’s troops (including the Rough Riders) were able to reach the enemy’s deployment without being ambushed.

Martial Arts/ Fighting Style:

Physique Level:

Speed: Moderate

Agility: Moderate

Strength: Moderate-High

Endurance: Moderate

Overall Health: