Frederick E. Toy

Frederick E. Toy
Born 1866
Buffalo, New York, United States
Died August 5, 1933(1933-08-05) (aged 66–67)
Lewiston, New York
Place of burial Riverdale Cemetery
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service c. 1881–1911
Rank Ordnance Sergeant
Unit 7th U.S. Cavalry
Battles/wars Indian Wars
Wounded Knee Massacre
Awards - Medal of Honor

Frederick Ernest Toy (1866 – August 5, 1933) was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served during the Indian Wars; a portion of that service was with the 7th Cavalry Regiment. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery at what was then called the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now commonly called the Wounded Knee Massacre, against the Sioux Indians on December 29, 1890.

Biography

Sergeant Toy (on the right) receiving the Medal of Honor at Fort Riley, Kansas, 1891.

Toy was born in Buffalo, New York in 1866.[1]

Toy was among the cavalrymen ordered to capture Chief Big Foot who, on December 29, 1890, surrounded the Sioux camp on Wounded Knee Creek with the intention of arresting the Sioux chieftain and disarming his followers.[2] Toy was a sergeant assigned to Company G commanded by Captain Winfield Scott Edgerly.[3] Toy was one of seventeen enlisted men awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions that day. Toy was cited for "bravery displayed while shooting hostile Indians;" It was changed on the final citation after being returned by the War Department. Captain Winfield S Edgerly said Sergeant Toy did "deliberately aim at and hit two Indians who had run into the ravine." Toy was presented the medal in a public ceremony, which was featured in Harper's Weekly. He also attained the rank of first sergeant by the time his Medal of Honor was awarded on May 26, 1891.[2]

Later in his career, Toy served as an orderly to President Theodore Roosevelt and was later promoted to ordnance sergeant; in January 1911, Toy was placed on the retired list after more than thirty years of military service.[3] He died on August 5, 1933 and is buried at Riverdale Cemetery in Lewiston, New York; his grave marker identifies him as a captain.[1][4]

The appropriateness of the award of the Medal of Honor to Toy, as well as to the others awarded for Wounded Knee, was challenged more than 100 years later.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company C, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Wounded Knee Creek, S. Dak., 29 December 1890. Entered service at:--. Birth: Buffalo, N.Y. Date of issue: 26 May 1891.

Citation
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Frederick Ernest Toy, United States Army, for bravery on 29 December 1890, while serving with Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry, in action at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Frederick Ernest Toy". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved 2 November 2015. The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Frederick Ernest Toy, United States Army, for bravery on 29 December 1890, while serving with Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry, in action at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.
  2. 1 2 Green, Jerry (1994). "The Medals of Wounded Knee" (PDF). nebraskahistory.org. Nebraska State Historical Society. pp. 200–208. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Indian Fighter Quits Army; Sergt. Toy, Medal of Honor Man, Placed on the Retired List.". New York Times. January 15, 1911.
  4. ↑ Don Morfe. "Frederick E. Toy". Find a Grave. Retrieved June 30, 2010.

External links

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