Hamilton Fish II (Rough Rider)
Encyclopedia
Hamilton Fish II, of the Rough Riders
, a wealthy young New Yorker, was a Sergeant in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders
, during the Spanish-American War
. He is said to be the first American killed in the Battle of Las Guasimas
, near Santiago, Cuba, on June 24, 1898. He died of a gunshot to the heart.
Fish was a graduate of Columbia University
where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
. Fish was son of diplomat and banker Nicholas Fish and grandson of the 26th U.S. Secretary of State, Hamilton Fish
.
Fish was not the only soldier from a prominent family in the unit: "...To this rugged crew, Roosevelt added some 50 men with backgrounds closer to his own: Ivy League
rs from wealthy Eastern families. In citing their qualifications for active duty, Roosevelt touted their athletic accomplishments. Dudley Dean was ``perhaps the best quarterback who ever played on a Harvard 11. Bob Wrenn was ``the champion tennis player of America. Other Easterners included ``Waller, the high jumper; Craig Wadsworth, the steeplechase rider; Joe Stephens, the crack polo player; and Hamilton Fish, the ex-captain of the Columbia crew. http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/rooseveltsbull.html
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
, a wealthy young New Yorker, was a Sergeant in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
, during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. He is said to be the first American killed in the Battle of Las Guasimas
Battle of Las Guasimas
The Battle of Las Guasimas of June 24, 1898, part of the Spanish-American War, unfolded from Major General "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's attempt to storm a Spanish position in the jungles surrounding Santiago. Commanding a division that included the 1st U.S...
, near Santiago, Cuba, on June 24, 1898. He died of a gunshot to the heart.
Fish was a graduate of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
. Fish was son of diplomat and banker Nicholas Fish and grandson of the 26th U.S. Secretary of State, Hamilton Fish
Hamilton Fish
Hamilton Fish was an American statesman and politician who served as the 16th Governor of New York, United States Senator and United States Secretary of State. Fish has been considered one of the best Secretary of States in the United States history; known for his judiciousness and reform efforts...
.
Fish was not the only soldier from a prominent family in the unit: "...To this rugged crew, Roosevelt added some 50 men with backgrounds closer to his own: Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
rs from wealthy Eastern families. In citing their qualifications for active duty, Roosevelt touted their athletic accomplishments. Dudley Dean was ``perhaps the best quarterback who ever played on a Harvard 11. Bob Wrenn was ``the champion tennis player of America. Other Easterners included ``Waller, the high jumper; Craig Wadsworth, the steeplechase rider; Joe Stephens, the crack polo player; and Hamilton Fish, the ex-captain of the Columbia crew. http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/rooseveltsbull.html