Teófilo Marxuach
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Lieutenant Colonel Teófilo Marxuach, (July 28, 1877 – November 8, 1939), was the person who ordered the first shots fired in World War I on behalf of the United States on an armed
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
supply ship trying to force its way out of the San Juan Bay. Marxuach ordered hostile shots from a machine gun and a cannon located at the Santa Rosa battery of "El Morro" fort, in what is considered to be the first shots of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of the Central Powers,"US Naval Institute Proceedings"; "A Breach of Neutrality", by Lt. Isaiah Olch, US Navy, Vol. 62: July–December 1936 forcing the ''Odenwald'' to stop and to return to port, where its supplies were confiscated.


Early years

Marxuach (birth name "Teófilo Marxuach Plumey") was born in the town of Arroyo, Puerto Rico when the island was still under Spanish rule. His parents were
José María Marxuach José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
, twice mayor of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
and Josefina Plumey Irizarry (daughter of Juan Bautista Plumey and Petronila Irizarry, among the wealthiest landholders in Lares). His family had historically played a prominent role in the island's commercial and political affairs. Marxuach and his three siblings Acisclo, Teresa (mother of Puerto Rican radio pioneer
Teófilo Villavicencio Teófilo is a given name. People with the name include: *Teófilo Barrios (born 1964), Paraguayan football (soccer) defender *Teófilo Benito (1966–2004), Spanish middle-distance runner *Teófilo Borunda (1912–2001), Mexican politician *Teófil ...
) and Amalia were raised and educated in the capital city of San Juan. He studied military engineering at the Academy of Military Engineering in Guadalajara, Spain from September 1895 to July 1900 and graduated with a degree in civil engineering with a lieutenant's commission in the Spanish Army. When he returned to Puerto Rico in 1901, the island was a United States territory and no longer a Spanish province. Marxuach resigned his commission in the Spanish army and his Spanish citizenship. He then began to work as a civil engineer in the Department of Public Works. He enrolled in Cornell University and continued his engineering studies from 1902 to 1903. In 1903, Marxuach wrote and published "El lenguaje castellano en Puerto Rico" ("The Spanish Language in Puerto Rico"). In 1906, he married Carolina Acosta y Acosta (b. 1887), granddaughter of José Julián Acosta y Calvo in "La Capilla del Cristo" (Cristo Chapel) in Old San Juan. They had three children: Teófilo, Gilberto and Raúl Marxuach Acosta.


Military career with the United States

Puerto Rico became a
U.S. Territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...
after the
1898 Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...
, which ended the Spanish–American War. The United States appointed a military governor, and the United States Army established itself in San Juan. The Army Appropriation Bill created by an Act of Congress on March 2, 1889 authorized the creation of the first body of native troops in Puerto Rico. On June 30, 1901, the Porto Rico Provisional Regiment of Infantry was organized. On July 1, 1901, the United States Senate passed a bill that required a strict mental and physical examination for those who wanted to join the regiment. Under the provisions of an act of Congress approved April 23, 1904 and of Circular No. 34, War Department, July 29, 1904, the recruitment of native Puerto Rican civilians to be appointed the grade of second lieutenants for a term of four years was approved with the condition that they pass the required tests.Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry
/ref> Although many civilians from all walks of life applied for the officers appointment in January 1905, only seven made it that day, and one of those seven was Teófilo Marxuach, who had from 1903 to 1905 worked as a civil engineer for the Porto Rico regiment in the Aqueduct of Cayey. On March 3, 1905, he was commissioned with the rank of second lieutenant. An act of Congress, approved on May 27, 1908, reorganized the regiment as part of the "regular" Army. Because the native Puerto Rican officers were Puerto Rican citizens and not citizens of the United States, they were required to undergo a physical examination to determine their fitness for commissions in the regular army and to take an oath of U.S. citizenship with their new officers' oaths.''Historia Militar de Puerto Rico'', by Héctor Andrés Negroni; pg. 370; In June 1908, Lt. Marxuach and all the others passed. He was assigned to the unit in charge of the Progressive Military Map of Puerto Rico from July 12, 1908 to December 4, 1908, during which time he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.


The first shot of the United States in World War I

The United States tried to remain neutral when World War I broke out in August 1914. However, Washington insisted on its neutral right to send ships without them being attacked by German submarines. American ships carried food and raw materials to Britain. By January 30, 1908, the Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry was stationed at Camp Las Casas in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Different units were stationed at other forts throughout the island and Lt. Marxuach was stationed at
El Morro Castle Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.ww ...
, (then an Army base named Fort Brooke) at San Juan Bay. On March 21, 1915, Lt. Marxuach was the officer of the day at El Morro Castle. The ''Odenwald'', built in 1903 (not the German World War II warship of the same name), was an armed German supply ship which tried to force its way out of San Juan Bay and deliver supplies to the German submarines waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. Lt. Marxuach gave the order to open fire on the ship from the walls of the fort. Sergeant Encarnacion Correa then manned a machine gun located along the wall below "La Fortaleza", the governor's residence, and fired warning shots at the ship with little effect. Marxuach then fired a cannon of the Santa Rosa battery in the upper platform of El Morro, in what is considered to be the first shot of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of the Central Powers, forcing the ''Odenwald'' to stop and to return to port, where its supplies were confiscated. The shots ordered by Lt. Marxuach were the first fired by the United States in World War I prior to the official U.S. Congress declaration of war against Germany. The first shots fired after the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany on April 7, 1917 were by U.S. Marines in
Apra Harbor Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwa ...
, Guam against a launch from the SMS ''Cormoran''.


International incident

Marxuach's actions became an international incident when the German government accused the United States government of the holding the ''Odenwald'' illegally against its will without firing the customary warning shot as required by international law. The United States government responded that the official report of the United States War Department made by Lt. Col. Burnham, the commander of the fortress of El Morro Castle, made it clear that only warning shots were made and that none were aimed at the Odenwald. Eventually, the ''Odenwald'' was refitted and renamed SS ''Newport'' by the U.S. government and assigned to the U.S. Shipping Board, where it served until 1924, when it was retired. In 1917, the Germans resumed the practice of unrestricted submarine warfare, in part leading to America's entry into the war.


Service in the Panama Canal Zone

On April 6, 1917, the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany and on May 14, 1917, the Porto Rico Regiment was sent to Panama, where Marxuach served at the commanding post at Camp E.S. Otis in defense of the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
as captain of the infantry. While serving in Panama, he was promoted twice: on June 25, 1918, he was promoted to major, and on September 10 of the same year, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. The regiment returned to Puerto Rico in March 1919 and was renamed The 65th Infantry by the Reorganization Act of June 4, 1920. During his military career, Marxuach served at various posts in Puerto Rico.


Later years

Marxuach retired on June 30, 1922, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He continued to serve with the Organized Reserves of Puerto Rico until November 4, 1922. Upon his retirement, Marxuach worked as a civil engineer for the Department of Interior, in a project known as the Salto de Comerio. Marxuach also worked in the customs building in Old San Juan. Lt. Col. Teófilo Marxuach died in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 8, 1939, and was buried with
full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...
in Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazziz Cemetery in Old San Juan. He was survived by his widow Carolina Acosta Marxuach, three children, his brother Acisclo, and two sisters Teresa and Amalia. His death not only made news in the local news media of the day, but was posted under the headlines "Lt. Col. Marxuach, World War Figure" in the November 9, 1939 edition of ''The New York Times''. At the family's request, his body was exhumed and on May 3, 1957, and was buried in the
Puerto Rico National Cemetery Puerto Rico National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery located in the city of Bayamón, in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It encompasses of land, and at the end of 2005, had 44,722 interments. Until 2021, it was the only United St ...
located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, next to his son Colonel
Gilberto José Marxuach Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach a.k.a. "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense" (November 19, 1910 – April 18, 1957), was a former officer in the United States Army who in 1951 founded and became the first director of the Civil Defense in ...
(1910–1957) known as "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense".


Military decoration

File:WW1VMedal.jpg, World War I Victory Medal Congressional Gold Medal On June 10, 2014, President Barack Obama, signed the legislation known as "The Borinqueneers CGM Bill" at an official ceremony. The Bill honors the 65th Infantry Regiment with the Congressional Gold Medal.Richard Payerchin, "President Obama to honor Army's Puerto Rican regiment the Borinqueneers," ''The Morning Journal'', June 9, 2014.
/ref>


Notes


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans * List of Puerto Rican military personnel *
Puerto Ricans in World War I Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved since World War I. One of the consequences of the Spanish–American W ...
*
65th Infantry The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ...
* Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal * French immigration to Puerto Rico * Other members of the
Marxuach Marxuach (, modern standandardized spelling: ''Marxuac'') is a Catalan (originally from Occitania) surname shared by the following people: *Javier Grillo-Marxuach * Francisco J. Marxuach * Pompeyo Oliu Marxuach * Acisclo Marxuach y Plumey * José M ...
family


References


Further reading

* ''Puertorriquenos Who Served With Guts, Glory, and Honor. Fighting to Defend a Nation Not Completely Their Own'', by Greg Boudonck. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marxuach, Teofilo 1877 births 1939 deaths People from Arroyo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Catalan descent Puerto Rican people of French descent Cornell University alumni United States Army officers Puerto Rican Army personnel People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican military officers Spanish military personnel United States Army personnel of World War I