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First Sergeant · U.S. Army

Frederick Ernest Toy

First Sergeant Frederick Ernest Toy, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota during the Indian Campaigns.

Indian Campaigns December 29, 1890

Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, First Sergeant Frederick Ernest Toy received the Medal of Honor for his actions on December 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota during the Indian Campaigns. At the time he was serving with Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Toy was about 24 years old.

18 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on May 26, 1891. He later rose to the rank of Captain.

Toy was born in 1866 in Buffalo, Erie County, New York. His Medal of Honor is credited to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Toy died on August 5, 1933 in Youngstown, New York, at the age of about 67. He is buried at Riverdale Cemetery in Lewiston, New York.

Toy is one of 426 Medal of Honor recipients from the Indian Campaigns and one of 210 credited to Illinois.

Official Medal of Honor citation

Bravery.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Places

  • Born: Buffalo — map
  • Died: Lewiston — map
  • Buried: Riverdale Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Illinois →

Timeline

  1. 1866
    Born in Buffalo, Erie County, New York
  2. December 29, 1890
    Act of valor — Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota
    Age about 24. Company G, 7th U.S. Cavalry
  3. May 26, 1891
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. August 5, 1933
    Died in Youngstown, New York
    Age about 67.
  5. Resting place
    Riverdale Cemetery
    Lewiston, New York

Biography

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Frederick E. Toy”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on December 29, 1890

WA William Grafton Austin Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 JC John E. Clancy Musician · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 MF Mosheim Feaster Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 Ernest Albert Garlington First Lieutenant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 John Channing Gresham First Lieutenant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 MH Mathew H. Hamilton Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 JH Joshua B. Hartzog Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 HH Harry Leroy Hawthorne Second Lieutenant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 MH Marvin C. Hillock Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 George Hobday Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 BJ Bernhard Jetter Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890 GL George Lloyd Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1890

See all 19 recipients for December 29, 1890 →

More Indian Campaigns recipients from Illinois

SC Samuel Henry Craig Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1886 JK John J. h Kelly Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1874 ES Elmer A. Snow Trumpeter · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876 JT John Thompson Sergeant · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 PM Philip Murphy Corporal · Army Indian Campaigns · 1869 PK Philip Kennedy Private · Army Indian Campaigns · 1876
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.