A New Mexico Rough Rider
by Richard Melzer with Introduction by Paul Andrew Hutton
408 pages 150 illustrations 6 x 9 SBN 978-1-943681-62-4 ($19.95pb)
Captain Maximiliano Luna: A New Mexico Rough Rider
Captain Maximiliano Luna: A New Mexico Rough Rider is the biography of one of New Mexico's Rough Riders, the colloquial name for the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War, and the only one to see combat. They came to be known as "Roosevelt's Rough Riders" when they were under the command of Theodore Roosevelt, years before he would become President of the United States. Captain Maximiliano Luna's story tells of his privileged upbringing, military training, service in Cuba and the Philippines, and his ultimate sacrifice. Expertly researched, featuring a wealth of annotations a handful of black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, and an index, Captain Maximiliano Luna: A New Mexico Rough Rider is work of scholarship that captivates the imagination. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library American Biography collections. — Reviewer's Bookwatch, Midwest Book Reviews, June 2019
2018 International Latino Book Awards
Finalist — Captain Maximiliano Luna: A New Mexico Rough Rider, Richard Melzer
2018 National Federation of Press Women Book Awards
2nd Place — Captain Maximiliano Luna: A New Mexico Rough Rider, Richard Melzer
New Mexico Historical Review: Summer 2018:
Richard Melzer has undertaken what he calls "the daunting task" of completing a biography of Maximiliano Luna (p. x). Given that his subject left few letters and no journals, Melzer built his narrative by analyzing reflections of Luna's life as revealed in newspaper reports and the correspondence and recollections of friends and family. Skillfully and diligently mining such sources, the author has brilliantly brought Luna into the mainstream of New Mexico history....
Melzer does not dwell on the Rough Riders. Rather, his spirited narrative establishes Maximiliano's position in the Hispanic aristocracy of the Territory of New Mexico and then places his military service in Cuba, and martyr's death in the Philippines, in the the broader context of New Mexico's campaign for statehood. This is a fine biography of a remarkable young man, and an important contribution to the history of the American Southwest. — Geoffrey R. Hunt
Richard Melzer’s biography of Captain Maximiliano Luna is far more than
a simple tale of military glory, for the author has placed this young soldier
within the context of the unique place that is New Mexico…. It is altogether
fitting…that this modern aristocrat of Southwestern letters should be the
author of this marvelous biography of New Mexico’s lost political and
military aristocrat. Maximiliano Luna deserved to be rescued from historical
obscurity—his legacy was indeed fortunate to be placed in the talented hands
of Richard Melzer.
Paul Andrew Hutton, Distinguished Professor of History,
University of New Mexico
Theodore Roosevelt called his men “children of the dragon’s blood,” those
Rough Riders who bravely followed him up Cuba’s Kettle and San Juan hills
in the face of blistering Spanish rifle and artillery fire. Surely no Rough Rider
deserved that title more than Captain Maximiliano Luna of New Mexico.
Yet his fascinating life has remained in the shadows of history – until now.
Richard Melzer thankfully gives us Luna’s vibrant story for the first time in
this thoroughly researched and important biography. Both hero’s tale and
tragic reminder of the supreme cost of war, it’s a read I highly recommend.
Mark Lee Gardner, author of Rough Riders: Theodore Roosevelt, His Cowboy
Regiment, and the Immortal Charge Up San Juan Hill
Richard Melzer is a Regents professor of history at the University of New
Mexico’s Valencia campus. A former president of the Historical Society of
New Mexico, he is the author of two dozen books and over a hundred articles
on New Mexico history.