They were outgunned by Spanish and their wondrous smokeless powder .45-caliber rifles. Could this rag-tag team of American Cavalry men survive–and win?

“The Mauser bullets drove in sheets through the trees and the tall jungle grass, making a peculiar whirring or rustling sound; some of the bullets seemed to pop in the air, so that we thought they were explosive; and, indeed, many of those which were coated with brass did explode, in the sense that the brass coat was ripped off, making a thin plate of hard metal with a jagged edge, which inflicted a ghastly wound. These bullets were shot from a .45-caliber rifle, carrying smokeless powder … .”—Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Riders, in the chapter “The Cavalry at Santiago.”

Like this quote? Then we think you’ll love Gun Digest Book of Classic Combat Handguns, by the late Dan Shideler!