Lot 1269 in our September 23-24, 2023 Firearms & Military auction is a very possible ROUGH RIDER Springfield .30-40 1895 Krag-Jorgenson Saddle Ring Carbine in very good condition with some wear and remnants of oxidation. The action seems fully functional. The bore is very good. CMP reports the serial number range for the "Rough Riders" rifles to be 27010-28995, 35164-35741, 68013-68758, 74097-79499. 2x strong cartouches on the stock "ILA 1896" on the wrist and "DA" in a circle behind the trigger guard. This seems to be a TRUE carbine and not a cut down rifle! Comes with vintage box of Winchester .30 Army Full Patch C&R Eligible S/N:28905 Estimate: $1500 - $2500.
The Rough Riders was the nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish – American War and the only one to see combat. The regiment was also nicknamed "Wood's Weary Walkers" for its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood. This reflected the troop’s dissatisfaction that despite being cavalry, they ended up fighting in Cuba as infantry. Their horses were not sent there with them because there was no port to unload them at Santiago harbor.
Wood's second in command was former Assistant Secretary of the Navy and future President of The United States, Theodore Roosevelt, who was a strong advocate for the Cuban war for Independence. When Wood was promoted to become commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the regiment became known as "Roosevelt's Rough Riders". That term was borrowed from Buffalo Bill Cody, who called his traveling show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World."
The Rough Riders would receive more publicity than any other Army unit in the Span Am War, and they are best remembered for their heroic charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill. Several days after the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Spanish fleet sailed from Cuba, and in only a few weeks an armistice ending the fighting was signed. Despite the brevity of their service, the Rough Riders became legendary, thanks in large part to Roosevelt's writing his own history of the regiment and the silent film reenactments made years later. (information from Wikipedia: Rough Riders - Wikipedia)