ROOSEVELT THEODORE Brief Typed Letter Signed T Roosevelt as

Sale 2674 - Lot 130

Price Realized: $ 875

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 700 - $ 1,000

DECLINING APPLICATION TO SERVE WITH THE "ROUGH RIDERS" ROOSEVELT, THEODORE Brief Typed Letter Signed, "T. Roosevelt," as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, to S.P. Thrasher: "I am very sorry to say that our regiment is already over enlisted, and we can't take another man." ½ page, 4to, "Navy Department" stationery; moderate even toning, faint scattered soiling, horizontal folds. Washington, 12 May 1898

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On April 21, 1898, the U.S. and Spain declared war on each other due to the inability to resolve disputes concerning the independence of Cuba, marking the start of the Spanish-American War. Secretary of War Russell A. Alger invited Theodore Roosevelt to command the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, but Roosevelt believed he could build a stronger unit serving as Lieutenant Colonel under the command of his friend Leonard Wood, and Alger agreed. Three days after the writing of the present letter, Roosevelt resigned his post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to take up cavalry riding gloves. Volunteers from across the country applied to become part of the regiment which became known as the "Rough Riders." Originally designed as a unit of 780 men, the regiment swelled to over 1,100 by July.