Theodore Roosevelt was from New York when he joined the Rough Riders. Born and raised in New York City, he served as a New York political figure and was serving as the state’s assistant secretary of the Navy when he resigned to fight in 1898.
Roosevelt helped organize the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, soon nicknamed the Rough Riders. The regiment recruited men from western territories, the Southwest, and elite Eastern circles, giving it a deliberately varied identity. Colonel Leonard Wood commanded the unit, while Roosevelt became lieutenant colonel and its most famous field leader.
Although the regiment was called cavalry, transportation problems meant many men fought on foot in Cuba. Roosevelt and his men took part in the advance on Santiago de Cuba, including the fighting at Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. A common mix-up is to identify Roosevelt with the Dakotas or the American West because of his ranching image; those experiences shaped his public persona, but his home state and political base were New York.