Hermann Wilhelm Kuchneister

He stayed in the cable boat under fire to break enemy links.

Hermann William Kuchmeister was born in Hamburg and emigrated to the United States. He enlisted in the Marine Corps from Brooklyn in August 1897. During the Spanish-American War he served as a private in the Marine detachment of the cruiser USS Marblehead.

On 11 May 1898, Marblehead and the gunboat Nashville sent boats toward Cienfuegos, Cuba, to cut submarine telegraph cables. The mission required men to work near the defended shore, hauling the cables from the water and severing them while their ships provided supporting fire. Marines and sailors shared the exposed boats.

Kuchmeister remained at his task under heavy enemy fire. The citation for his Medal of Honor recognises his courage throughout the operation. His own surviving account provides a participant's description of the expedition and the dangerous work in the boats. It gives a personal perspective on an action for which many of the participating enlisted men were decorated.

He left the Marine Corps with an honourable discharge in March 1900 and later worked for the United States Customs Service in Boston. Initially an assistant weigher, he received a special administrative recognition in December 1908: President Theodore Roosevelt authorised his promotion to day inspector without the examination otherwise required. His later public employment thus followed a short but distinguished period of military service.

Kuchmeister died on 1 February 1923. He was buried in Winthrop Cemetery, Massachusetts, where a memorial and Medal of Honor marker commemorate him. His name appears in several spellings in military and civil records, including the form used in his official award citation.

Official Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Marblehead during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Kuchneister displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.