Frederick E. Toy

Frederick Ernest Toy (1860s – August 5, 1933) was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Indian and Spanish–American Wars; During his enlisted service, he was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Regiment until promoted to ordnance sergeant and served at a variety of posts. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, against the Dakota Indians on December 29, 1890. Toy retired from the Army in 1910. He was recalled and commissioned as a captain during World War I. He worked as an employment manager and as a railroad police officer.

Frederick E. Toy
Born1866
Buffalo, New York, United States
DiedAugust 5, 1933(1933-08-05) (aged 66–67)
Lewiston, New York
Place of burial
Riverdale Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1883–1910; 1917–1919
RankCaptain
Unit
Battles/warsSioux Wars Spanish–American War
World War I
Awards Medal of Honor
Spouse(s)
Alice Morrow
​
​
(m. 1893; died 1927)​
    Margaret Hood Crawford
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1928)​
    Other work
    • employment manager
    • railroad police

    Early life

    Toy was born in Buffalo, New York in the early– to mid–1860s to Ernst and Catherine Toy. The 1870 U.S. Census shows his given name as Fred and his estimated birth year as 1864–1865.[1] He was educated in the Buffalo public schools.[2] The 1880 U.S. Census shows his given name as Friedrich and his estimated birth year as 1865.[3] The record of his first enlistment shows his estimated year of birth as 1862.[4] The Hall of Valor shows his birth year as 1866.[5]

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

    Frederick Toy was a career enlisted soldier, serving from 1883 to 1910. All of his enlisted terms of service ended with the expiration of his term of service and with character evaluations of "excellent." All of Toy's service was with Troop G, 7th Cavalry Regiment until he was promoted to ordnance sergeant.[4][6][7][8][9][10][11]

    Toy first enlisted on October 16, 1883 at Chicago, Illinois; his enlistment record reflects the given name of Frederick and his age as 21 (birth year 1861 or 1862).[4] In April 1888, Toy was promoted from corporal to sergeant while assigned to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[12] On September 15, 1888, Toy was discharged as a sergeant at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[4]

    Toy reenlisted on October 16, 1888 at Fort Riley, Kansas.[6] He was among the cavalrymen ordered to capture Chief Big Foot. On December 29, 1890, troopers surrounded the Sioux camp on Wounded Knee Creek with the intention of arresting the Sioux chieftain and disarming his followers.[13] Toy, a sergeant on the day of the battle, was commanded by Captain Winfield Scott Edgerly.[13] Toy was one of twenty 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 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. 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.[13] Toy was discharged at Fort Clark, Texas.[6]

    In early November 1893, Toy and Alice Marrow (sic) were married in Junction City, Kansas; the Toys expected to proceed to Fort Clark, Texas.[14] First Sergeant Toy reenlisted on November 15, 1893 at Fort Riley. First Sergeant Toy was discharged at Camp Forse, Alabama.[7] On November 15, 1898, Toy reenlisted at Huntsville, Alabama. He was discharged at Columbia Barracks, Cuba.[8]

    Toy reenlisted on November 15, 1901 at Columbia Barracks.[9] On June 4, 1903, Toy, who had been promoted from first sergeant to ordnance sergeant on June 2, 1903, was ordered to proceed from Camp George H. Thomas, Georgia to Fort Sheridan, Illinois.[15] He was discharged as an ordnance sergeant while assigned to Fort Sheridan.[9] Toy immediately reenlisted at Fort Sheridan on November 15, 1904. He was discharged, again as an ordnance sergeant, at Madison Barracks, New York.[10] Toy reenlisted on November 15, 1907 as an ordnance sergeant at Madison Barracks.[11] On October 13, 1908, the War Department ordered Toy, then at Madison Barracks, to report to Fort Niagara, New York for duty.[16] In the 1910 U.S. Census, Toy is shown to be living at Fort Niagara while serving as an "O.S." in the U.S. Army.[17] He retired from the Army on October 15, 1910 as an ordnance sergeant by authority of War Department Special Orders 239 dated October 12, 1910.[11]

    During his career, Toy served as an orderly to President Theodore Roosevelt.[18]

    Commissioned Army career

    During World War I, Toy was among retired Regular Army personnel who were recalled to serve as trainers; he was commissioned as a captain in the Quartermaster Corps and assigned to the 303d Stevedore Regiment; he returned to his Niagara Falls, New York home on July 18, 1919 and anticipated mustering out of the U.S. Army during August 1919.[19] He served as a transportation quartermaster in Brest, France.[2] He reverted to the rank of master sergeant after the war; a special act of Congress restored him to the rank of captain without increasing his retired pay.[20][21] In the 1920 U.S. Census, his occupation is reflected as "Captain, U.S. Army."[22] Toy, identified as a major, commanded the Special Troops, 98th Infantry Division (part of the Organized Reserve of New York State) from March 26, 1922 to November 10, 1924.[23] Toy, again identified as a major, was ordered to attend training camp from July 15 through August 2, 1922.[24]

    Later life and death

    After his military service, Toy was employed as the employment manager of the Aluminum Company of America and later as a lieutenant for the New York Central Railroad Company police.[2] In December 1921, Toy was a candidate for chief of police of Niagara Falls.[25] Toy was a member of Camp number 7 of the United Spanish War Veterans[26] He also joined the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Military Order of the World War.[27] He died on August 5, 1933, and is buried at Riverdale Cemetery in Lewiston, New York. Toy's grave marker identifies him as a captain.[2][28]

    Awards
    Medal of Honor[5]
    Indian Campaign Medal[29]: 70–71 
    Spanish War Service Medal[29]: 71 
    Army of Cuban Occupation Medal[29]: 71 
    World War I Victory Medal[29]: 70 

    Medal of Honor citation

    Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Troop G, 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.[5]

    Concerns
    Mass Grave for the Dead Lakota After the Engagement at Wounded Knee

    There have been several attempts by various parties to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the Battle of Wounded Knee.[30][31][32] Proponents claim that the engagement was in-fact a massacre and not a battle, due to the high number of killed and wounded Lakota women and children and the very one-sided casualty counts. Estimates of the Lakota losses indicate 150–300 killed, of which up to 200 were women and children. Additionally, as many as 51 were wounded. In contrast, the 7th Cavalry suffered 25 killed and 39 wounded, many being the result of friendly fire.[33][34][35]

    Calvin Spotted Elk, direct descendant of Chief Spotted Elk killed at Wounded Knee, launched a petition to rescind medals from the soldiers who participated in the battle.[36]

    The Army has also been criticized more generally for the seemingly disproportionate number of Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the battle.[37] For comparison, 20 Medals were awarded at Wounded Knee, 21 at the Battle of Cedar Creek, and 20 at the Battle of Antietam.[37][38] Respectively, Cedar Creek and Antietam involved 52,712 and 113,000 troops, suffering 8,674 and 22,717 casualties.[39][40][41][42][43] Wounded Knee, however, involved 610 combatants and resulted in as many as 705 casualties (including non-combatants).[44][33]

    Honors

    Frederick Toy's name is memorialized on side C of the Medal of Honor monument in Niagara Falls State Park.[45]

    See also

    References
    1. "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8FB-TRL : 17 October 2014), Fred Toy in household of Ernst Toy, New York, United States; citing p. 259, family 2133, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,432.(registration required)
    2. "Captain F. E. Toy, Railroad Police Official, Passes". Niagara Falls Gazette. August 7, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
    3. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZZB-2T6 : 14 July 2016), Friedrich Toy in household of Ernst Toy, Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States; citing enumeration district ED 134, sheet 386B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0829; FHL microfilm 1,254,829.(registration required)
    4. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-7F1C : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 16 Oct 1883; citing p. 37, volume 082, Chicago, , Illinois, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 43; FHL microfilm 350,349.(registration required)
    5. "Frederick Ernest Toy". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved November 2, 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 Troop G, 7th U.S. Cavalry, in action at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.
    6. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJD5-LRXF : 24 May 2014), Fredk E Toy, 16 Oct 1888; citing p. 214, volume 086, Fort Riley, , Kansas, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 45; FHL microfilm 1,319,378.(registration required)
    7. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-HW3F : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 15 Nov 1893; citing p. 202, volume 092, Fort Riley, , Kansas, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 48; FHL microfilm 1,465,934.(registration required)
    8. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-Z8QQ : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 15 Nov 1898; citing p. 238, volume 096, Huntsville, , Alabama, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 50; FHL microfilm 1,465,936.(registration required)
    9. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-F911 : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 15 Nov 1901; citing p. 227, volume 108, Columbia Barracks, , Cuba, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 56; FHL microfilm 1,465,942.(registration required)
    10. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-VPN5 : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 15 Nov 1904; citing p. 215, volume 116, Fort Sheridan, , Illinois, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 60; FHL microfilm 1,465,946.(registration required)
    11. "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDR-2VXL : 24 May 2014), Frederick E Toy, 15 Nov 1907; citing p. 241, volume 120, Madison Barracks, , New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 62; FHL microfilm 1,465,948.(registration required)
    12. "Promotion of Frederick E. Toy to Sergeant". The Leavenworth Times. Leavenworth, Kansas. April 4, 1888. p. 2. icon of an open green padlock
    13. Green, Jerry (1994). "The Medals of Wounded Knee" (PDF). nebraskahistory.org. Nebraska State Historical Society. pp. 200–208. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    14. "Toy Marries Marrow". Manhattan Mercury. Manhattan, Kansas. November 8, 1893. p. 5. icon of an open green padlock
    15. "Ordnance Department". No. Vol XL, Number 41. The United States Army and Navy Journal. June 13, 1903. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
    16. "Ordnance Department–Brigadier General William Crozier". Army-Navy-Air Force Register and Defense Times. No. Volume 44. October 17, 1908. p. clxvi.
    17. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5HJ-BKM : accessed 4 June 2017), Frederick Toy, Porter, Niagara, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 130, sheet 8B, family 208, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1049; FHL microfilm 1,375,062.(registration required)
    18. "Indian Fighter Quits Army; Sergt. Toy, Medal of Honor Man, Placed on the Retired List". New York Times. January 15, 1911. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    19. "Capt. Toy Returns to Home at Falls" (PDF). Buffalo Courier. July 19, 1919. p. 10. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
    20. "Orders for Army Officers". New York Herald. December 27, 1917. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
    21. "Retired as Captain" (PDF). The Niagara Falls Gazette. July 10, 1933. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
    22. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVMG-SWB : accessed 2 June 2017), Frederick Toy, Niagara Falls Ward 10, Niagara, New York, United States; citing ED 124, sheet 34B, line 56, family 750, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1242; FHL microfilm 1,821,242. (registration required)
    23. Clay, Steven E. US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941: Volume 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops, 1919–41 (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, US Army Combined Arms Center. p. 1915. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
    24. "Maj. Toy Assigned" (PDF). The Niagara Falls Gazette. July 17, 1922. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
    25. "Tom Walters for Chief of Police" (PDF). The Niagara Falls Gazette. December 30, 1921. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
    26. "Addresses Vets". The Niagara Falls Gazette. July 18, 1928. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
    27. "Military Order of World War Elects". Buffalo Courier. September 7, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
    28. Don Morfe. "Frederick E. Toy". Find a Grave. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
    29. "Military Awards" (PDF). Army Publishing Directorate. U.S. Army. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
    30. Dana Lone Hill (February 18, 2013). "The Wounded Knee medals of honor should be rescinded". the Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
    31. "No Medals for Massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". The Huffington Post. February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
    32. "Lakota~WOUNDED KNEE: A Campaign to Rescind Medals: story, pictures and information". Footnote.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
    33. "Plains Humanities: Wounded Knee Massacre". Retrieved December 9, 2014.
    34. "The 110th Anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre". perspicuity.net. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
    35. "Wagner...Part Two". dickshovel.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
    36. Joseph Huff-Hannon (February 12, 2013). "No Medals for massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". Huffington Post.
    37. Green, Jerry (1994). "The Medals of Wounded Knee". Nebraska State Historical Society, also available in Nebraska History #75, pp. 200–208. Nebraska State Historical Society History.
    38. Owens, Ronald J. (2004) Medal of Honor: Historical facts and figures. Turner Publishing Company
    39. Whitehorne, p. 15. The NPS battle summary lists Union strength of 31,945. Cullen, p. 111, states 35,000 Union effectives, including 10,000 cavalry. Salmon, p. 368, and Kennedy, p. 319, state 32,000 Union.
    40. Whitehorne, p. 17. The NPS battle summary and Kennedy, p. 319, list Confederate strength of 21,000. Cullen, p. 112, states 18,000 Confederate effectives, including 4,000 cavalry.
    41. Wert, p. 246, Eicher, p. 752. Lewis, p. 288, reports Union totals as 5,764 (569 killed, 3,425 wounded, 1,770 missing), Confederates 3,060 (1,860 killed and wounded, 1,200 prisoners). Kennedy, p. 323, reports 5,672 Union, 2,910 Confederate. The NPS battle summary reports 5,665 Union, 2,910 Confederate. Salmon, p. 372, reports Union "almost 5,700", Confederate "almost 3,000."
    42. Eicher, p. 363. Sears, p. 173, cites 75,000 Union troops, with an effective strength of 71,500, with 300 guns; on p. 296, he states that the 12,401 Union casualties were 25% of those who went into action and that McClellan committed "barely 50,000 infantry and artillerymen to the contest"; p. 389, he cites Confederate effective strength of "just over 38,000," including A.P. Hill's division, which arrived in the afternoon. Priest, p. 343, cites 87,164 men present in the Army of the Potomac, with 53,632 engaged, and 30,646 engaged in the Army of Northern Virginia. Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite 87,100 Union engaged, 51,800 Confederate. Harsh, Sounding the Shallows, pp. 201–202, analyzes the historiography of the figures, and shows that Ezra A. Carman (a battlefield historian who influenced some of these sources) used "engaged" figures; the 38,000 excludes Pender's and Field's brigades, roughly half the artillery, and forces used to secure objectives behind the line.
    43. Sears, pp. 294–96; Cannan, p. 201. Confederate casualties are estimates because reported figures include undifferentiated casualties at South Mountain and Shepherdstown; Sears remarks that "there is no doubt that a good many of the 1,771 men listed as missing were in fact dead, buried uncounted in unmarked graves where they fell." McPherson, p. 129, gives ranges for the Confederate losses: 1,546–2,700 dead, 7,752–9,024 wounded. He states that more than 2,000 of the wounded on both sides died from their wounds. Priest, p. 343, reports 12,882 Union casualties (2,157 killed, 9,716 wounded, 1,009 missing or captured) and 11,530 Confederate (1,754 killed, 8,649 wounded, 1,127 missing or captured). Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite Union casualties of 12,469 (2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, 1,043 missing or captured) and 10,292 Confederate (1,567 killed, 8,725 wounded for September 14–20, plus approximately 2,000 missing or captured).
    44. Brown, p. 178, Brown states that at the army camp, "the Indians were carefully counted." Utley, p. 204, gives 120 men, 230 women and children; there is no indication how many were warriors, old men, or incapacitated sick like Big Foot.
    45. "Niagara Falls Medal of Honor Memorial Side C". The Memorial Day Foundation. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
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