Richard Melzer

Captain Maximiliano Luna Richard Melzer

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.