In 1898, as the Spanish-American War was escalating, Theodore Roosevelt assembled an improbable regiment of Ivy Leaguers, cowboys, Native Americans, African-Americans, and Western Territory land speculators. This group of men, which became known as the Rough Riders, trained for four weeks in the Texas desert and then set sail for Cuba. Over the course of the summer, Roosevelt's Rough Riders fought valiantly, and sometimes recklessly, in the Cuban foothills, incurring casualties at a far greater rate than the Spanish. Roosevelt kept a detailed diary from the time he left Washington until his triumphant return from Cuba later that year. The Rough Riders was published to instant acclaim in 1899. Robust in its style and mesmerizing in its account of battle, it is exhilarating, illuminating, and utterly essential reading for every armchair historian and at-home general. The books in the Modern Library War series have been chosen by series editor Caleb Carr according to the significance of their subject matter, their contribution to the field of military history, and their literary merit.

本作は、後に米大統領となるセオドア・ルーズベルトが自ら筆を執った、戦記を超えた壮大な人間賛歌です。カウボーイやエリート学生が混ざり合う混成部隊の軌跡は、多様な個性が一つの意志へと昇華されるアメリカ的理想の具現化と言えるでしょう。 ルーズベルトの筆致は、戦場の焦燥感と生命の躍動を鮮烈に描き出しており、文学としての完成度が非常に高いのが特徴です。指導者としての苦悩と高揚、そして歴史の歯車が動く瞬間を、当事者の熱量を帯びた言葉で追体験できる唯一無二の傑作として、読む者の魂を激しく揺さぶります。