Military buffs can now find the names of many New Yorkers who served in the Spanish-American War online thanks to the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs - but not all of them. Theodore Roosevelt's name is not listed because he and his Rough Riders served with a national unit of the army, not a NYS regiment, said New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs Museum Curator Courtney Burns. The Rough Riders served in the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment.

As a result there is not a specific TR collection at the museum. However the site does have information about the NYS 71st regiment which saw combat with the Rough Riders and details those incidents. (Mr. Burns said many of the NYS troops who served in the Spanish American War never got to Cuba because the war was so short.)

The website tells the story of how the 71st met with the Rough Riders. "On the morning of the [June] 24, shortly after landing [in Cuba] the 71st was ordered to support the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, more commonly known as Roosevelt's Rough Riders, which had advanced into the hills in pursuit of Siboney's garrison. The cavalry troopers fighting dismounted, had stumbled into a body of Spanish troops and were hotly engaged in the first army engagement on Cuban soil at Las Guasimas. Much to the disappointment of the men, it was soon apparent that the 1st Cavalry needed no assistance and the 71st was recalled to Siboney. On the 27th of June the 71st Regiment began its march toward Santiago, following the 6th and 16th U.S. Regular Infantry Regiments with which they had been brigaded. The brigade made around five miles on the poor Cuban roads and halted for the night at the town of Sevilla amidst the debris of battle from Las Guasimas. The Spanish had retreated to their fortifications at Santiago and a small well-defended town called El Caney, but heavy rains had turned the already poor roads into a bog making immediate pursuit very difficult. The entire brigade was held up for several days until on June 30 it was announced that the units would be moving out early to engage the Spanish army.

"On July 1, 1898, the largest and bloodiest battles of the Cuban campaign were fought for possession of Santiago. Santiago itself sat among a collection of hills and mountains bristling with Spanish fortifications. Over the course of five years the Spanish had built up a system of defensive trenches and blockhouses among the hills that had few rivals. Their defensive line extended for three miles, starting with San Juan Hill in the south and proceeding north in an unbroken line of fortifications terminating at the sea. The 71st and the two regular regiments toiled along the small thin mountain road that led to San Juan Hill having been proceeded by the Rough Riders. The firing along the road was severe and the Spanish troops concealed in the heavy thickets used a smokeless powder, which made their positions very difficult to discern. Their sharpshooters were concealed in many of the tall coconut trees along the path and their artillery from the hills poured fire onto the road, which they knew the U.S. troops had to use.

"The fighting for possession of San Juan Hill itself degenerated into a series of successive charges by individual regiments, battalions, and companies. Among the units to reach the top first were the 6th, 13th, 16th, and 24th Regular Infantry Regiments along with Company F of the third battalion of the 71st Regiment. Much of the rest of the 71st was also heavily involved in the fighting sustaining heavy casualties in the face of galling Spanish rifle fire from a system of blockhouses on the right side of the hill. Shortly after the fall of San Juan Hill the Spanish launched a heavy counterattack on the captured trenches at night, but they were badly mauled and forced to retire after losing an estimated 3,000 soldiers. The 71st remained in the trenches for the remainder of the fighting at Santiago, conducting the siege duty.

"The Spanish garrison at Santiago surrendered on the 14th of July, having been suffering from famine for over two weeks, while simultaneously watching the U.S. Army position its imposing siege artillery. The Spanish surrendered some 24,000 troops at Santiago; all of whom were to be transported back to Spain. Upon the Spanish capitulation there was little to do other than see to the health of the men, many who were beginning to contract the mosquito born disease yellow fever due to the wet climate and two weeks of stagnation at Santiago. The 71st began to suffer fearful attrition not from the Spanish, but from sickness as yellow fever and typhoid took root wherever the troops went. On Aug. 2 the men of the regiment learned that Spain had agreed to all terms laid down by the U.S. government and that the war was over. The 71st remained in Cuba for a couple weeks more, chafing in the heat to return home. On Aug. 22 the 71st arrived at Camp Wikoff [in Montauk by TR for his troops to rest and recover after leaving Cuba] on Long Island and the men began to leave on furlough.

"Upon its return to the states the regiment could only muster 350 of its initial 1,000 men. Those soldiers that were not dead were either on furlough or sick and in hospitals across the country. In October the 71st returned to Camp Black and on Nov. 14, 1898 the regiment was mustered out.

"During its tour of duty the 71st lost several hundred of its members. Of these only around 80 men were killed or wounded in the fight for San Juan Hill, with additional casualties being taken on the road to the hill. Most of the regiment's losses however came from yellow fever and other tropical maladies," concludes the account.

The information above, is part of the material the museum has posted online the index to a rare, three-volume work called " New York in the Spanish American War" was prepared by the New York State Adjutant General's Office in 1900. The three volumes include information on New Yorkers who served in the 10-month War, including age of enlisted, where they mustered for duty, length of their enlistment, units, information on wounds or death in service, and when they were discharged. The names start with Gabriel Aarvig, who was a member of the 14th Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers and end with Robert Zwaboda, who served in the 201st Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers.

The online index provides information on the names of the soldiers, the unit they served in, and the page in the three-volume work where more data can be found.

The index can be found at http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/spanAm/spanAm_indexToNY.htm , or by searching for the New York State Military Museum, going to the Unit History page and selecting Spanish-American War.

The New York State Military Museum was established in 2001 in a historic 1889 Armory in Saratoga Springs, NY, to house a historical collection that dates back to the Civil War.

The museum houses over 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that relate to New York State's military forces, the state's military history and the contributions of New York's veterans.