Wood was an exceptional commander, of great power, with a remarkable gift for organization.

The rank and file were as fine natural fighting men as ever carried a rifle or rode a horse in any country or any age.

We had a number of first-class young fellows from the East, most of them from colleges like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton; but the great majority of the men were Southwesterners, from the then territories of Oklahoma, Indian Territory, Arizona, and New Mexico.

They were accustomed to the use of firearms, accustomed to taking care of themselves in the open; they were intelligent and self-reliant; they possessed hardihood and endurance and physical prowess; and, above all, they had the fighting edge, the cool and resolute fighting temper.

They went into the war with full knowledge, having deliberately counted the cost.