Brigadier General Albertus Wright Catlin (December 1, 1868 – May 31, 1933) was a United States Marine Corps general. He also was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his services during the Occupation of Veracruz in 1914.
Biography
Early career
Born December 1, 1868, in Gowanda, New York, Catlin was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from Minnesota in May 1886. He captained the football team at Annapolis and played left halfback for three years. After graduating with the Class of 1890, he served on board for required two years sea duty as a midshipman.
The Marines seemed to offer the best chance for active service, so Catlin applied for and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on July 1, 1892. In September 1892 he reported for duty at the Marine Corps School of Application and graduated first in his class in April 1893. In April 1893, Catlin was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred that December to Marine Barracks, League Island, Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania. Returning to sea in August 1895, he reported to .
Spanish–American War
Catlin then transferred to and was in command of her Marine Detachment when the ship was destroyed in Havana Harbor in February 1898. During the Spanish–American War that followed, he served aboard the auxiliary cruiser , which participated in the blockade of the harbor at Santiago de Cuba, and led a group of Marines and Sailors in an attempt to cut the undersea telegraph cable linking Cuba with Jamaica.
In June 1911, during salvaging operations of the Maine, Catlin's Mamaluke Sword was recovered "in a fair state of preservation," along with a penknife, from his quarters.
1899–1913
After serving in the Spanish–American War, he was ordered to the Marine Barracks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York. In March 1899, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the Marine Barracks at Port Royal, South Carolina. In February 1902, Catlin received orders to the Marine Barracks at Cavite, Philippines. He was the first commanding officer of the Marine Barracks, Naval Station, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, serving there from February to July 1904. He then served in recruiting duty at Buffalo, New York from October 1904 until returning to the Marine Barracks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard the following spring. In June 1905, he was promoted to major.
On June 30, 1906, owing to the disturbed political conditions in the Dominican Republic, a battalion of Marines consisting of 7 officers and 204 enlisted men, under the command of Major Catlin, was assembled, embarked and sailed on board the , from the League Island Navy Yard for Monte Cristi. In the fall of 1906, he served with the First Provisional Regiment in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he served until May 1909.
Catlin was then assigned to the Marine Barracks at Boston, Massachusetts, where he served the Post Quartermaster, and was later transferred to the Marine Barracks at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Following that tour, in 1911, he returned to serve in Cuba where he commanded a battalion of the 1st Regiment, which formed at Guantanamo Bay on 8 March 1911. Beginning in the fall of 1911, Catlin served in succession on board , and .
Medal of Honor action
While on board Wyoming, he participated in the intervention at Vera Cruz, Mexico. On 22 April 1914, Catlin bravely led the 3rd Marine Regiment, newly formed from shipboard Marine detachments, to capture the city. For his "distinguished conduct in battle" on this occasion, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery.
Medal of Honor citation
CATLIN, Albertus Wright
Major, U. S. Marine Corps
G. O. Navy Department, No. 177
December 4, 1915
Citation:
For distinguished conduct in battle, engagement of VERA CRUZ, April 22, 1914. Was eminent and conspicuous in command of his battalion. He exhibited courage and skill in leading his men through the action of the 22nd and in the final occupation of the city.
World War I
In December 1914, Catlin commanded the Naval Prison at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Maine, while also having temporary duty at the Army Service Schools at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. While at Portsmouth Navy Yard, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in October 1915, which was followed with a promotion to colonel in February 1917.