The inspiring story of the first African American soldiers to serve during the postslavery era

Many have heard how Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. But often forgotten in the great swamp of history is that Roosevelt’s success was ensured by a dedicated corps of black soldiers—the so-called Buffalo Soldiers—who fought by Roosevelt’s side during his legendary campaign. This book tells their story. They fought heroically and courageously, making Roosevelt’s campaign a great success that added to the future president’s legend as a great man of words and action. But most of all, they demonstrated their own military prowess, often in the face of incredible discrimination from their fellow soldiers and commanders, to secure their own place in American history.

“There are many hidden or, in the case of African American soldiers, intentionally overlooked stories in American history. In The Roughest Riders, Jerome Tuccille offers a welcome corrective with this deeply detailed work.” —Scott Martelle, author of The Admiral and the Ambassador and The Madman and the Assassin

“A page-turning adventure. Tuccille captures this timeless picture of struggling soldiers in the tropics. The Roughest Riders examines the ‘moral dilemma’

of black soldiers in an imperialist war and clears the smoke of decades of misplaced credit and lays the laurels of bravery and honor at the feet of those nearly forgotten Buffalo Soldiers.” —Frederik Penn, National Park Ranger

“Tuccille’s excellent descriptions give readers a graphic feel for the vicissitudes of jungle warfare and the grim racial and social realities that these men endured.” —Publishers Weekly

“The book reflects extensive and detailed research and is written in convincing and readable prose.” —True West Magazine

“Using firsthand accounts from soldiers and commanders as well as historical documents and insight, Tuccille’s lively writing puts the reader right in the heart of the Cuban battlefields.” —Houston Press

“It is a page turner, a clear view of a pivotal piece of America's past.” —Maryland Capital Gazette

Jerome Tuccille was the author of more than 30 books, including Gallo Be Thy Name, Hemingway and Gellhorn, and Trump. He was a vice president of T. Rowe Price, a major financial services firm, and he previously taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.