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Rough Rider
in the Spanish–American War, one of a regiment of U.S. cavalry volunteers recruited by Theodore Roosevelt and composed of cowboys, miners, law-enforcement officials, and college athletes, among others.
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Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.
(born July 1, 1877, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died November 26, 1970, North Chicago, Ill.) soldier who became the first black general in the U.
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Leonard Wood
(born Oct. 9, 1860, Winchester, N.H., U.S.—died Aug. 7, 1927, Boston) medical officer who became chief of staff of the U.S. Army and governor general of the Philippine Islands (1921–27).
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Tasker Howard Bliss
(born Dec. 31, 1853, Lewisburg, Pa., U.S.—died Nov. 9, 1930, Washington, D.C.) U.S. military commander and statesman who directed the mobilization effort upon the United States' entry into World War I.
(Feb. 15, 1898), an incident preceding the Spanish-American War in which a mysterious explosion sank the U.S. battleship Maine in the harbour of Havana. The destruction of the Maine was one of a series of incidents that precipitated the United States' intervention in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which had begun in 1895. In January 1898, partly as a conciliatory gesture to the Spanish authorities there and partly to protect the lives and property of U.S. citizens presumably endangered by recent riots, the Maine was sent to Havana harbour. On February 15 an explosion sank the ship, carrying 260 seamen to their deaths. The exact cause of the disaster was never firmly established, though Spain offered to submit the question of its responsibility to arbitration. Nevertheless, certain U.S. newspapers seized upon the incident and coined the popular slogan, “Remember the ‘Maine,' to hell with Spain!” in an effort to whip up public sentiment in favour of armed intervention, which followed in April.
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