The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War.  Its first commander was Colonel Leonard Wood, a doctor who served as the medical advisor for both the President and secretary of war.  Wood's second in command was former assistant secretary of the United States Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, a man who had pushed for American involvement in Cuban independence.  The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War roughly thirty years prior.  As a result, President William McKinley called upon 1,250 volunteers to assist in the war efforts.  The volunteers were gathered in four areas: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.  They were gathered mainly from the southwest because it was a hot climate region that the men were used to similar to that of Cuba where they would be fighting.  "The difficulty in organizing was not in selecting, but in rejecting men."  The allowed limit set for the volunteer cavalry men was promptly met. They gathered a diverse bunch of men consisting of cowboys, gold or mining prospectors, hunters, gamblers, Native Americans and college boys.  All of these volunteers were able-bodied and capable on horseback and in shooting.  Among these men were also police officers and military veterans who wished to see action again.  Men who had served in the normal army during campaigns against Indians or served in the Civil War had been gathered to serve as higher ranking officers in the cavalry.  In this regard they possessed the knowledge and experience to lead and train the men well.  As a whole, the unit would not be entirely inexperienced.  Volunteers were gathered in San Antonio, Texas at the Menger Hotel Bar.  When Colonel Wood became commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the Rough Riders then became "Roosevelt's Rough Riders."