Teófilo Marxuach
Teófilo Marxuach | |
|---|---|
Lieutenant Colonel Teófilo Marxuach Ordered the first US shot fired in World War I | |
| Born | July 28, 1877 Arroyo, Puerto Rico |
| Died | November 8, 1939 (aged 62) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | Spain (1900–1901) United States of America |
| Service | Spanish Army (1900–1901) United States Army |
| Years of service | 1905–1922 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry" (renamed in 1919 "The 65th Infantry") |
| Battles / wars | World War I *Ordered the first shot fired in World War I on behalf of the United States |
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 a German cargo liner trying to leave San Juan Bay without permission. Marxuach ordered shots from a machine gun, and from a gun in the Santa Rosa battery of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, in what are considered to be the first shots of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship of the Central Powers, forcing Odenwald to stop and to return to port.