The regiment was also called "Wood\'s Weary Walkers" in honor of its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood.
When Colonel Wood became commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the Rough Riders then became "Roosevel.
Wood\'s second in command was former assistant secretary of the United States Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, a man who had pushed for American involvement in Cuban independence.
This nickname served to acknowledge that despite being a cavalry unit they ended up fighting on foot as infantry.
The regiment was also called "Wood\'s Weary Walkers" in honor of its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood