Bio of T.R.

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Model 1883 - Blue Pullover Shirt

When the Spanish were asked to name their best generals they answered, “June, July and August.” It wasn’t the generalship in Cuba; it was the weather and the disease.

In the stifling heat U.S. troops went to war in dark blue woolen flannel shirts. Our ill equipped army rushing to Cuba simply didn’t have the right clothing for the climate. The Model 1883 woolen shirt was a pullover with falling collar and hard rubber buttons. There was a white muslin lining in the upper chest and a small issue tag sewn into the back collar. The Rough Rider’s wore these shirts throughout the campaign to distinguish themselves from the Spanish. The famous photo of Theodore Roosevelt atop the San Juan Heights shows the future president wearing a privately purchased dark blue shirt along with the regiment’s army issue.


1883 woolen pull over shirt. Shirts like these were worn by
Rough Riders thoughout the campaign in Cuba.
Private Collection

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