Albany Rifles

Not to put too fine a point on it but they were not Colored Troops. That was a Civil War era term only.

They in fact were proud Regulars of the 9th & 10th Cavalry as well as troops from the 24th Infantry. To them the term "Colored" was considered a perjorative since the US Colored Troops of the Civil War were Volunteers while the Buffalo Soldiers were long service veterans of the Regular Army.

And Roosevelt had command only of his regiment. BG Sumner commanded the attack overall.


Buffalo Soldiers at San Juan Hill

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Albany Rifles

Okay, both are past

Let's stick with the Splendid Little War

What 2 unusual weapons were used in support of the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish American War?

RustyBattleship

Well, the Gatling Gun to start off with. Lieutenant Parker of the New York unit literally had to smuggle in the mules to draw them. He had four Gatlings but one was commandeered by another unit while on his way to Roosevelt's unit.

So he had those three Gatlings giving cover fire.

HOWEVER, in Roosevelt's account, when he first heard that "peculiar drumming sound" at first he thought it was Hotchkiss machine guns.

So I would guess the Hotchkiss as the second one.

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Albany Rifles

The Gatling was not an usual weapon...part of the standard weaponry.

And not the Hotchkiss either.

Kansas Bear

Lances

Albany Rifles

Nope

Last US Force to use lances was the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Civil War...which they quickly discarded.

Hints:

One was primarily a USN/USMC weapon in an unusual caliber, privately procured.

They other was, shall we say, more experimental in nature. And the Rough Riders did not employ at San Juan/Kettle Hill.

RustyBattleship

I read somewhere (and some time ago) that some squads were equipped with large bore hunting rifles like the .50 caliber Sharps. They were used more as a sniper rifle than a suppresion fire gun.

Don't know about the other "experimental" weapon, but I do recall Roosevelt's account that he found wearing a sword was completely useless and his always got hung up in the brush. Swords weren't "experimental" of course, but I don't think anybody actually used them. Roosevelt himself said he never had an occasion to draw his except in ceremonial activities.

Albany Rifles

Nope & Nope

Do we want to let this run or should I give the answers?

ghost88

Also not to put to fine a point on it all the contemepary accounts I have read used Colored win describing the Black troops, Had I said the 9th Cav(Colored) your correction here would be correct as I used it to describe the race of the troops (as used at the time) not so.

On your other point I did not say Roosevelt commanded he did indeed however lead the charge up Kettle and he did so on his own initiative, as Ord led the attack on SJH on his initiative.
Summer was in command of the Cav Div but did not lead nor it seems order the attack he stayed in the rear. Considering his age this was wise of him.
Wheeler did however order the other Inf. to attack in support of Ord.

Albany Rifles

The term Colored Troops when capitalized within US Army unit desgiantions refers to the USCT of the Civil War. 9th Cavalry Regiment (Colored) was never a formal name of the unit. The Peacetime Establishment Act of 1866 called for adding four regiments to the line, two white and two of colored from existing USCT. This was in the original language of the bill The official designations were the Ninth and Tenth Regiments of Cavalry. The word Color or Colored was never in their formal name. And the troopers took it as an insult to be referred to as Colored. It was that which I was pointing out.

The reference to who commanded was not addressed to your comments but Rusty's.

Kansas Bear

Is there anyway to find out who the bugler(s) were at Kettle Hill?

Albany Rifles

You would have to find unit rosters.

Any particular reason or are you being your normal ornery self?

Kansas Bear

My grandmother supposedly had a cousin that served with the Rough Riders. I thought she said he was a bugler.

RustyBattleship

It's been some time now (well over 24 hours) that you asked this question. I took a stab at some guesses but then the thread seemed to drift off into Colored fighting units and buglers.

So, what's the answers?

Albany Rifles

The Sims-Dudley Dynamite gun was used during the siege of Santiago...not at Kettle Hill since ammo was in the wrong place.

dynamite

The Colt Model 1895 Automatic Machine Gun

The unit privately purchased 2 of them in 7x57mm Mauser caliber (same as the Spanish Mauser rifles). Waht was further unusual is the weapon was normally mounted on a gun carriage and used by the USMC and/or USN shore parties. (If you remember the movie The Wind and The Lion you may recall the US shore party of Marines and Sailors. The sailors were pulling carrriages. They had the Colt MGs mounted on them.


Colt Machine Gun