He should pay with his body.
As soon as war was upon us, Wood and I began to try for a chance to go to the front.

Congress had authorized the raising of three National Volunteer Cavalry regiments, wholly apart from the State contingents.
Secretary Alger of the War Department was fond of me personally, and Wood was his family doctor.

Alger had been a gallant soldier in the Civil War, and was almost the only member of the Administration who felt all along that we would have to go to war with Spain over Cuba.

He liked my attitude in the matter, and because of his remembrance of his own experiences he sympathized with my desire to go to the front.
Accordingly he offered me the command of one of the regiments.

I told him that after six weeks' service in the field I would feel competent to handle the regiment, but that I would not know how to equip it or how to get it into the first action; but that Wood was entirely competent at once to take command, and that if he would make Wood colonel I would accept the lieutenant-colonelcy.