Albertus W Catlin
Albertus was born on the 1st of December 1868, in Gowanda, New York, and after high school, he received an appointment to the US Naval Academy. He played football there and he graduated with the class of 1890, going on to serve on the USS Charleston as a midshipman for two years. After the two years of required sea service, Albertus received a commission to Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and was promoted to First Lieutenant after completing the Marine Corps School of Application in 1893. He reported to the USS Cincinnati in August of 1895 and was then transferred to the USS Maine to command of the Marine Detachment on board. The USS Maine was destroyed in Havana Harbor with the explosion initially killing 260 servicemen, with six more succumbing to their wounds later, and injuring 78 more (leaving only 16 survivors uninjured). This would help launch the US into what is now known as the Spanish-American War and Albertus transferred to the USS St Louis as part of the harbor blockade.
After the war, Albertus was transferred to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and received a promotion to Captain in March of 1899. He served as the first commanding officer of the Marine Barracks in Honolulu until 1904, then transferring to Buffalo, New York for recruiting duty. By June of 1906, Albertus was a Major and in command of a battalion deployed to the Dominican Republic on board the USS Dixie, followed by Guantanamo Bay, Cuba until 1909. In June of 1911, items from his quarters on board the USS Maine were recovered, to include his Mameluke Sword, the traditional curved sword worn by officers even to this day. He went on to serve on the USS Connecticut, the USS Utah, and the USS Wyoming, which is what he was on board when he deployed to Mexico in April of 1914. It was his actions there that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For distinguished conduct in battle, engagement of Vera Cruz, 22 April 1914. Eminent and conspicuous in command of his battalion, Maj. Catlin exhibited courage and skill in leading his men through the action of the 22d and in the final occupation of the city.
Albertus received the Medal of Honor on the 4th of December 1915, as a Lieutenant Colonel and he completed the Army War College shortly after the US entered World War 1. He was deployed to France in command of the 6th Marine Regiment and was shot by a sniper during the Battle of Belleau Wood. Albertus was evacuated to a hospital and recovered back in the States.
During his recovery, he served at Headquarters Marine Corps, located at the Pentagon, and was promoted to Brigadier General. Albertus wrote a book about his time in France that was published in 1919: “With the Help of God and a Few Marines”. His final assignment was in command of the First Brigade in Haiti until September of 1919. Albertus retired in December of 1919 after thirty-three years of service and due to the injury received in France, he lived out his life with poor health. Albertus Wright Catlin died on the 31st of May 1933, at the age of 64 and he is buried with his wife and one of his two daughters in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 7, Site 10038.
