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Rough Rider Can't Make ReunionIllness Also Deprived Him Of Charge Up San JuanWALTER C. COX ^A Rough Rider veteran of awar a half-century ago, WalterC. Cox, 67-year-old Wichitan, now spends most of his time looking after flowers at his home, 1910 Taylor. The Span-ish-American veteran was not able to attend the 50th annual reunion of the Rough Riders Brigade in Prescott, Ariz. Ofthe more than 100 veterans of the Spanish-American War in the North Texas area, Cox isthe only known member of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry headed by Colonel “Teddy Roosevelt.By MARSHALL MOOREWichita Falls’ only veteran of the dauntless Rough Riders of Col. Teddy Roosevelt of the Span-ish-American War, Walter C. Cox of 1910 Taylor, wras unable to attend the 50th annual reunion of his outfit at Prescott, Ariz., last, week.The ex-trooper of that famed brigade of westerners, living in retirement for the last 15 years, recalled that after he had enlisted at Durant, Okla., and trained at Muskogee, Okla., San Antonio and Tampa Beach, Fla., illness deprived him of the tripto Cuba and a part in the Battle of San Juan Hill.His health today kept him from attending the reunion where fewer than three score of thefamed 1,203 fighters were present.According to Herman H. Wyn-koop, who aided Col. David Goodrich of New York City with the reunion arrangements, there are only 110 former Rough Riders alive. Cox is 67 years old.At his Wichita Falls home where he spends much of his time tending flowers, the ex-trooper recalled that following his 17th birthday on Tan* 14, 1898, he enlisted in “the wild and wooly Indian Territory that is now Oklahoma and trained about 200 days before 1 went to Muskogee to be mustered in April 14, 1898.“The next day we left for SanAntonio where, w*ith other unitsof the Rough Riders Brigade, we trained until June 2. We were officially designated as the FirstVolunteer United States Cavalry,Cox continued. '“Our six-day trip to Tampa Beach, Fla., was a rough excursion. We had only army hard tack, pork and beans and water. Coffee was served at some of the stations along the way when they knew we were coming and when one of the other six trains transporting us did not stop at the same town just ahead of us.“When we camped across the river from Tampa, I had the measles. It was here that Colonel Roosevelt joined us, and the all-out conditioning program was launched for men and horses. Myoutfit muled for Cuba without their horses on June 19,- and 1 was released for duty on June 20.“I trained until July 25 when I went down with typhoid fever. During my service of seven and one-half months in the army from April until Nov. 1, I was with my outfit, Company M. less than 50 days, and .the rest of the time was in the hospital. And the hospital was bad enough. I was on a blanket on the ground from the day of my enlistment until 1 was moved to Fort Monroe, Va., Sept. 1,” Cox related.Sleeping accommodations were not the only substandard condition of the Spanish-American War.In addition to health and sanitation standards that had not yet reached the modern stage with vaccinations, the food was had and the men were forced to train, and later fight, in heavy wool urn* forms including leggings, all ot which were of winter weight.The Spanish-American War wasthe first war in which American troops fought in tropical conditions, and because of the speed of the preparations records show that the* rugged veterans of that w?ar endured the worst in food clothing, medical treatment andaccommodations. Fortunately the conflict was one of the shortest in our history.The Rough Riders, the First U. S. Volunteer Cavalry, went into action at San Juan Hill alongside the famed Ninth Cavalry. They were disbanded four and one-half months after their organizationCompany M was discharged atMontock, Long Island, N. Y., Sept. 15, a month and a half before Cox was released from the Virginia Military Hospital.A native of Fannin County, Texas, Cox had moved to Indian Territory in 1888 with his par-following his discharge army he returned to hrfme near Durant. On 1889, he married and after several years in farming and oil marketing, moved to WichitaFalls in 1924. He operated a sandwich shop on Ohio Avenue for several years before he retired 15 years ago.Six children and 13 grandchildren include four daughters, Mrs. W. R. Stout, 1616 Harrison; Mrs. Louise S p e 11 e 1, 309 Galveston' Mrs. Glen Tucker, Dean, and Mrs. Margaret Hefley, Houghson, Calif., and two sons. Morgan Cox, Los Angeles, and Thomas Cox, Ceres. Calif.ent5, andfrom the his farm June 1,Our books ore closed1 All charge purchases payable in August.
Newspaper Details
Wichita Daily Times
Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Sun, Jun 27, 1948
Page 40
Full Page
Clipped by
Rick S.
NA, 09 Mar 2020
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