Member of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry regiment in the Spanish-American War .
The group, organized and led by Theodore Roosevelt and Leonard Wood , included cowboys, miners, policemen, and college athletes. The most famous of its exploits in the fighting in Cuba was an uphill charge in the Battle of Santiago (July 1, 1898) in which the group helped capture Kettle Hill and then charged across a valley to assist in the seizure of San Juan Ridge and its high point, San Juan Hill. Wide coverage of the regiment in the U.S. press helped establish Roosevelt's reputation.