Chapter 27: One Crowded Hour

Roosevelt and Buck gave a high-five before kneeling down with the rest of the battalion as the sound of bullets intensified into a steady, deathly static.

“Sir!” Roosevelt spoke into his walkie-talkie. “We’re under enemy fire; requesting permission to advance!”

McKinley gave a click of his tongue.

“You may advance…but do not engage the enemy until I give you my signal.”

“You hear that?” Roosevelt shouted to his men. “It’s time to charge!”

The battalion gave a rebel yell as they stormed through the forest in the direction of the bullets. Roosevelt took the first triumphant step out of the brush, only to stop at what lay before him. Ahead stood an enormous hill, the top of which was covered by legions of enemy soldiers and artillery.

“Get back!” Roosevelt screeched as the enemy unleashed their firepower onto the battalion, tearing through the surrounding trees with their attacks.

Roosevelt looked around, then pointed to a nearby officer.

“Ernie! How many horses do we have left on hand?”

The man opened his mouth to speak, then gave a horrible cough as a bullet tore through his stomach, bringing him to the ground. Roosevelt clicked his tongue.

“McKinley!” he screamed into the walkie-talkie, “Requesting permission to engage!”

He put the radio to his ear, but all he heard was static.

“Of all the lousy times…” Roosevelt muttered as he scanned his fellow soldiers. “Sanders! Where are you Sanders!”

“I’m…here…sir,” a man stepped to him, his skin badly scorched by the Cuban sun.

“I can’t get into contact with McKinley,” Roosevelt explained, “I need you to…”

Roosevelt stopped talking as Sander’s eyes rolled back, followed by his body collapsing hard onto the floor. Roosevelt rubbed his forehead.

“You there!” he said, pointing to the nearest soldier he could find lying in the tall grass besides him.

“Yes Sir!” the boy stood to offer up a salute, only for his body to fall forward as a bullet pierced through his throat.

“For the love of…” Roosevelt grumbled. “Buck! How are you doing with all this?”

“Oh, I’m right as rain,” Buck’s voice called from a distance.

“…wait a second…” Roosevelt peeked around his cover, nearly dropping his jaw in the process. “Dear God, Buck! What in the world are you doing over there?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” he replied as he brazenly paced in front of their cover, a hail of Spanish bullets shooting just past him. “I’m enjoying my morning walk and smoke.”

“Get under cover this instance!”

“Why should I?” Buck replied with a grin. “After all, you’re the one always telling me that a real man never turns his back against danger. Besides, there isn’t a Spanish bullet made that can kill m—”

Buck stopped talking, his body frozen in place.

“…Buck?” Roosevelt asked as his friend continued standing still. “What’s wrong?”

Buck moved his hand to his lips. He removed the cigarette from his mouth, then turned to Roosevelt, a somber smile spread across his face as he pointed to the sky.

“I…I see them, Theo…” he struggled to speak. “St…st…stars!”

Buck blurted a pool of blood out along with these last words, his body falling to Roosevelt’s side.

“Buck!” Roosevelt screamed as he caught the body of his former best friend in his arms.

For a moment, Roosevelt was overcome by the tears welling up in his face. Then, with great calm, Roosevelt rested Buck’s body onto the ground as he grabbed at his walkie-talkie with enough force to crack its exterior.

“McKinley! Give us the order to advance!”

Again, only static came through.

“This blasted signal jam!” he snarled, turning to look at the hill of Spanish soldiers. “…the consequences be darned, I’m going to…”

“R…Roosevelt?” McKinley’s voice finally crackled through. “We…enemy…engage…engage!”

“I hear you loud and clear!” Roosevelt replied as he mounted atop the group’s last surviving horse. “Let’s move out everyone!”

Roosevelt looked to his troops, but they refused to meet his gaze as they continued crouching deep under cover.

“Come on boys! Are you all really too afraid to stand up while I’m up here on horseback?”

The soldiers exchanged sheepish glances amongst each other. Then, a lone figure stood up amongst them.

“I’m not, Colonel!” the young man screamed as he rose to his full height. Then a stray bullet smashed into the volunteer, bringing him back down onto the ground.

Roosevelt shook his head as the remaining soldiers ducked down even deeper into cover.

“So be it! You all can have your age without a name…” Roosevelt struck his reigns, bringing his horse out of the thicket as he charged alone at the enemy hill, “I’m going to have my crowded hour!”

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Roosevelt Flashback II. This chapter is based on the Battle of San Juan hill, where again many of the details here are largely accurate. In particular: Theodore started talking about calvary tactics with Ernest Haskal when he got shot in the stomach and died, Theodore’s orderly Wiliam Sanders collapsed from the heat and later died of a fever, after which Theodore summoned a new soldier to act as an orderly and to get them the orders to advance, after which the troop stood, saluted, then fell over after being shot through the neck. He also really did get on a horse and tell some of his reluctant troops “Are you afraid to stand up when I’m on horseback?”, after which one of the troops stood up and was immedaitelys hot down.

Bucky O’Neill really did insist on strolling up and down his troops while smoking his characteristic cigarette. Someone protested against this, saying “Captain a bullet is sure to hit you”, to which Bucky replied “Seragent, the Spanish bullet isn’t made that will kill me,” only for him to be shot dead shortly afterwards. Bucky really did tell Theodore “Who would not risk his life for a star?” in reference to a military star, but he did not muse about the stars as his final words.

It is also worth noting several minor inaccuracies that I’ve put here. In particular, the soldiers did not make use of walkie-talkies, the bulk of Theodore’s troops went with him up his charge (not leaving him to go up alone as depicted here), and to be clear Theodore did not actually charge up San Juan hill but rather the neighboring Kettle Hill.

Crowded Hour. This and the previous chapter title are based on a quote from the novel Ivanhoe, which says “One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.” Theodore would later reference this line when he wrote about his time in Cuba by saying “But then came the order to advance, and with it my `crowded hour’.”