lleges caught the fever, and men went forth from Yale, Harvard,
Princeton, and other institutions of learning to battle for Uncle Sam.

The first blow struck at Spain was a most effective one. Commodore,
afterwards Admiral, Dewey was at Hong Kong when the trouble began, and
he was directed by the War Department to hunt for a Spanish fleet
somewhere among the Philippine Islands and engage it. On Sunday, May 1,
came the news that the gallant commodore had reached Manila Bay, fought
the Spanish fleet and sunk every hostile ship, and come out of the
battle with all of his own ships safe and not a single man killed!

"Hurrah! that shows what our navy can do!" cried many citizens. And they
were justly proud. In the past, foreign nations had looked with
something akin to scorn on our vessels and the way they were manned. Now
such criticism was silenced; and this result was, in a certain measure,
due to the work of Theodore Roosevelt, while First Assistant Secretary
to Secretary Long.

But Theodore Roosevelt was no longer in the department. He resigned and
closed his desk, saying, "My duty here is done; my place is in the
field." With such an active nature, it was impossible for him to remain
a private citizen while stern war was a reality.

In his own excellent work, "The Rough Riders," and in his sworn
testimony before the Commission of Investigation of the Spanish War, Mr.
Roosevelt has given us graphic pictures of how the First United States
Volunteer Cavalry, commonly called the Rough Riders, happened to be
organized, and what it tried to do and did, and this testimony is
supplemented by many who know the facts, and who took part in the
battles which made the organization famous throughout the length and
breadth of our land.

At first Theodore Roosevelt thought to attach himself to the militia of
New York, but found every place taken.

"Let us try one of my Massachusetts regiments," said Dr. Wood. And this
was also done, with a like result.

"We could fill every place, did we want five times as many men," said
one colonel. "Everybody seems crazy to go." This shows how truly
patriotic our nation can become when the occasion arises for going to
the front.

While Theodore Roosevelt and his intimate friend were wondering what to
do next, Congress authorized the raising of three cavalry regiments, to
be composed of the daring riflemen and riders of New Mexico, Oklahoma,
Arizona, and Indian Territory.

"There, that wi