August P. Teytand

August P. Teytand (April 6, 1878 – March 4, 1956) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the .

After immigrating to the United States from the West Indies and joined the Navy. He served aboard several ships including and . While serving aboard ''Olympia'' he traveled to Asia and participated in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War. He was a member of the crew of ''Leyden'' as well when it foundered in a heavy fog and sank. It was for his actions during the wreck of ''Leyden'' that he received the Medal of Honor. He died in 1956 and is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Early life and military

Teytand was born April 6, 1878, in Santa Cruz, West Indies and after immigrating to the United States joined the Navy. He was an apprentice first class stationed aboard , a protected cruiser, when it departed Mare Island August 25, 1895, and joined the Asiatic Fleet. ''Olympia'' was designated as the flagship for the fleet upon its arrival and for the next three years Teytand cruised the Far East, visiting Japan, China, and the Philippines. On January 3, 1898 Commodore George Dewey took command of the fleet in anticipation of a pending war with Spain. The fleet waited in Hong Kong through the winter and on April 25, 1898, word was received that the United States declared war with Spain. With this news the fleet moved to Mirs Bay, China.

On the morning of May 1, 1898, Commodore Dewey gave the order to enter Manila Bay and confront the Spanish flotilla commanded by Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo. At approximately 05:40, Dewey ordered ''Olympia''s captain to open fire on the Spanish ships and the coastal batteries. Teytand and the other sailors aboard ''Olympia'' fired the first shots of the engagement and continued to engage the Spanish ships until the majority of Pasarón's flotilla of ships had been destroyed and then city of Manila surrendered to Dewey and the American forces. After the defeat of the Spanish forces and the surrender of Manila ''Olympia'', Teytand, and the other members of the crew remained in the area and supported the United States Army by shelling Spanish forces on land.

On May 20, 1899, after completing their mission in the Philippines, ''Olympia'' and her crew along with Teytand returned to the Chinese coast. They stayed in China for a month and then they returned to the United States, via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. The ship arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 10, 1899.

Teytand remained in the navy after the Spanish–American War and on January 21, 1903, he was serving as a quartermaster third class aboard the tugboat . When ''Leyden'' was returning from Puerto Rico it foundered near Block Island in a heavy fog and for his actions during the wreck he received the Medal of Honor December 26, 1903. The full Medal of Honor citation reads:

For heroism while serving on board the U.S.S. ''Leyden'' at the time of the wreck of that vessel, 21 January 1903.

In 1953 he posed for a picture for '' Life'' magazine with 64 other Medal of Honor recipients. The recipients were brought to New York City by Walter Winchell for a fundraiser for the widows and orphans of New York City firemen and policemen.

He died on March 4, 1956, at the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery
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See also

* List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Teytand, August P.
1878 births
1956 deaths
Burials at Mount Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)
United States Navy sailors
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
Foreign-born Medal of Honor recipients
Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor
Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States