Lion Mascot of the Rough Riders
In the Story of the Rough Riders, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, The Regiment in Camp and On The Battle Field, By Edward Marshall, 1899, New York, G.W. Dillingham Col., Publishers, Pages 23-24,
The regimental mascot was a mountain lion cub, who had been named Florence by Mr. Robert Brow's patron, who brought her in to him, and possibly turned her over to him in payment for a stack of blue chips.
She was an extremely handsome animal, with soft, deep, tawny fur, and eyes which were deceptively mild in their appearance. Nothing could possibly be more satisfactory and comforting than the gentle purr of this pleasant cat, and nothing could certainly have been sharper or more lacerating than the points of the claws which, for a certain portion of the time, she kept amiably concealed in the velvet pads of her muscular paws.
Florence was fond of soldiers, and never attacked them. She hated civilians, and the man who did not wear a uniform was reasonably certain to carry her signature away with him if he went near enough for her to reach him. This is literally true.
The flag was the first to be raised by the army during the war, and the day we landed floated proudly on the summit of Mount Losiltires. It was gallantly borne through every engagement in Cuba, and has now been returned to the Women's Relief Corps of Phoenix, who point with pardonable pride to the many bullet holes which are in it.
The mountain lion was very wisely left at Tampa when the regiment sailed. Some of the troopers advocated her transportation to Cuba on the theory that the colonel could sick her on the Spaniards just before each battle, with disastrous results to the enemy, but still, she was left at Tampa. She has now gone back to Arizona.
Probably Mr. Robert Brow has her again. She did her duty nobly, and deserves a pension.
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