Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism

by Jack McCallum

One of the most fascinating but least remembered figures in modern American history, Major General Leonard Wood (1860-1927) was, with his close friend Theodore Roosevelt, an icon of U.S. imperialism as the nation evolved into a global power at the dawn of the twentieth century. The myriad of roles that Wood played in his extraordinary career offer a mirror image of the country's expansion from the urban Northeast to the western frontier to Latin...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814756999
• ISBN13: 9780814756997
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 357 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Unknown become reown once again

This is a long overdue biography on Leonard Wood who helped ushered in the period of American imperialistic tendencies at the begining of the 20th century. I found the book to be well written, well researched and quite informative about this soldier whose name appears quite often in history books of this time period but yet nothing in depth has never been written on until now. I found the book balanced to be very good as the author explored all the warts as well as the shine to this extraordinary American. Of course, Leonard Wood is closely connected with Theodore Roosevelt in more ways then one although like one previous reviewer stated, it wasn't as close as you expected. Perhaps that may be one minor weak link in this book is that it may not be as intimate of a biography as some may hope for. Still that take nothing from this book that still provides a very good coverage without bogging the reader down with information overload. The book centered greatly around Wood's role during the Indian Wars, Spanish-American War and his time in Cuba after the war. These years proves to be the crux of Wood's life as everything he did after that was the result of these years. This book come highly recommended to anyone who have interest during this period. The book provides an interesting insight into this man who is often portrayed as a secondary character but in actuality, one of the prime movers of our nation during this period.

A well written book about a fascinating man

For anyone who has read multiple volumes about Theodore Roosevelt, the name Leonard Wood has appeared many times. The more that I saw his name, the more I wanted to learn about the man but there was so little material available about him. Dr. McCallum has given us a well written and well researched book about one of this country's most visionary military leaders during an interesting period in our nation's history. The drawback, if there is one , to reading history is that you often times see the "warts" that existed on or about the subject matter and Leonard Wood certainly had his share of warts. However General Wood, in many ways, was exactly what our nation needed at this period in its development, a bridge from the old school line of military thought to what served as a template to a more modern army. Thanks Dr. McCallum. I needed this.

Must Read for Military Leaders, Department of State and Students of American Military History

"Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism" by Dr. Jack McCallum should be considered a must read for any military leader or anyone in the field of foreign relations. The book is an outstanding biography - well researched and written. It's real strength is found in the story of Wood during the Spanish-American War and his enlightened administration of Cuba after the war. Here the book really shines. Sometimes the book bogs down in it's story of U S Army administration and politics in the early 20th century but that topic is central to the story of Wood's unique career from Surgeon to Soldier to Colonial Administrator to top soldier as Chief of Staff. I purchased my book for two reasons: I wanted to know more about the history of the U S Army during the period of Wood's service and my tremendous interest in all topics related to Theodore Roosevelt. It is in the latter area that the book is somewhat of a disappointment. While there are plenty of references to TR, there is much less on the relationship between the two and TR as a friend and personal confidante than I had anticipated. That aside, I enthusiastically recommend this book for anyone in leadership in the military, the Department of State, military historians and in particular those interested in the U S Army between the Indian Wars and World War I. George F. Franks, III Franks Consulting Group www.franksconsultinggroup.com http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism

This is an exciting story of an important American, who has thus far escaped the attention of amateur American historians. Jack McCallum has delivered us a highly entertaining and very instructive account of Dr. Wood's eventful life.

Not just the name of an army base in Missouri

It's always somewhat disconcerting that men with the stature of Leonard Wood are able to fall into such obscurity so soon after their lives have passed. Wood was a dedicated soldier, expert on tropical health diseases and their eradication, war hero, near presidential candidate, and administrator beyond compare. Yet if people recognize his name at all, it is probably in connection with the name of an army base in Missouri. Jack McCallum's book hopefully will change that. Leonard Wood was born in New Hampshire in 1860 and, despite financial difficulties, attended and graduated from Harvard Medical School. He enlisted in the Army Medical Corps and was sent to Arizona where he participated in the Apache campaigns. He was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for distinguished service under extremely trying circumstances while delivering dispatches across enemy territory. Promoted captain, Wood was sent to Washington, D.C., where he became the attending physician to President McKinley. He also met and befriended Teddy Roosevelt, both men very interested in Cuban independence. When war broke out against Spain in 1898, Wood became a colonel and placed in command of the Rough Riders, with Roosevelt second-in-command. He led the Rough Riders in their first battle in Cuba (Las Guasimas). When the war ended Wood was made military governor of Cuba. He began working with Walter Reed in a fight against yellow fever, which he took with him to the Philippines in 1903 when he was appointed governor there. He was also promoted to major general of the Army. After Woodrow Wilson was elected president, Wood began criticizing the administration for not preparing the country for war. He believed firmly in the maxim of Vegetius: "Let him who desires peace prepare for war." He also called Wilson "a spineless rabbit," which didn't win him favor after the US entered WW I in 1917 (Pershing was named commander-in-chief of the AEF, not Wood). In 1918, Wood tried to gain the Republican Party's nomination for president, but lost out to Harding in 1920. Harding sent Wood back to the Philippines to help restore that country's economy and well-being, and died of a brain tumor in 1927. Wood was certainly cut from the same cloth as Teddy Roosevelt: ambitious, high-minded, fearless, conservative, unwilling to compromise, but also idealistic and disciplined. Prior to this book by McCallum, the chief work on Wood was Hermann Hagedorn's two-volume biography, published in 1931. McCallum is not a great stylist in his writing, but presents a vivid and interesting portrait of Wood that hopefully will make the man a better known figure to readers today.