Everybody knows the Rough Riders. Most people have two things wrong about them. The idea started in Prescott, Arizona. And Theodore Roosevelt did not originally command them. When war with Spain broke out in 1898, Prescott mayor William “Buckey” O’Neill and fellow Arizonans Alexander Brodie and James McClintock pushed the idea of raising a cavalry regiment from Western cowboys, ranchers and miners who already knew how to ride and shoot. On April 29, O’Neill became the first Arizona volunteer accepted into federal service for the war and resigned as mayor. Arizona was among the first to muster its men. They trained at Fort Whipple before leaving Prescott on May 4 as crowds packed the streets and depot to see them off. They became part of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the Rough Riders. The regiment included men from across the West. Colonel Leonard Wood originally commanded it. Theodore Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel, second in command, before later tak...