Battery D, 56th Artillery, C.A.C.
1917-1919
Battery D of the 56th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps was composed principally of men from 38th Co. Long Island Sound, formerly members of the Conn. Coast Artillery and members of the National Army most of whom came from Conn. On 28 March 1918 there were 233 enlisted men plus the below listed men in Battery D that sailed on the HMS Olympic. Battery D was commanded by the following Officers as of 28 March 1918:
Captain Frank E. Withee
1st Lt. Oscar H. Cowan
1st Lt. Burton K. Harris
2nd Lt. Van N. Sarles
2nd Lt. Joeh E. Casey
2nd Lt. Robert E. Lowe
1st Sgt. Harold F. Glendining, Battery D 1st Sgt.
When the 56th Artillery Returned on 5 January 1919 from Brest, France only one officer and 208 enlisted men returned with the Battery on the USS South Dakota. Below is a list of the men in charge of Battery D when they went aboard the USS South Dakota on 5 January 1919:
1st Lt. Robert E. Lowe, Battery Commander
1st. Sgt. Edward Michael, Battery 1st Sgt
Battery D Muster
As I find information on Battery D 56th Artillery men I will list them here in this section. If you had a family member in Battery D please contact me and I will add them to this web page.Pvt. 1cl, Joseph Ferrigno (Service No. 624059)
Joseph Ferrigno was born on the 15th day of January 1894 in the Provincia di Messina, or the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily. Joseph and his brother Frank along with their parents Francesco and Marie lived in the little village of Tusa with in the Province of Messina. Tusa has a present day population of 3,504 and the tenth most popular surname today in the village of Tusa is the name of Ferrigno with about 88 persons having that name today still living there.
Joseph's father Francesco immigrated to the Untied States in 1904 and left Joseph, Frank and his wife Marie back in Tusa. Francesco likely went to America looking for work and a place to live. Francesco was a machinist by trade and did own a machine shop in New London, Connecticut. Then two years later in 1906 Marie, Joseph and Frank made their way to America to join Francesco and create a new live in this "New Country".
On June 5th 1917 Joseph Ferrigno registered for the draft, as he was required to do as America had now joined the war in Europe. Joseph was a 23-year old single man living with his parents at 93 South Main Street in Danielson, Connecticut. Joseph was of medium height and slender build and had blue eyes and dark brown hair. Joseph was a self-employed plumber and was supporting both his mother and father. Joseph did claim for exemption from the draft on the grounds that his parents were dependant on him but he was accepted anyway. At the time of registration for the draft Joseph was not a U.S. citizen yet but he listed himself as a Declairant.
Joseph Ferrigno was inducted into the National Army, which were men who joined through the draft. On November 20, 1917 by the order of the War Department in Washington, the Coast Defense Commander, Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound, organized the 56th Artillery, C.A.C. All transfers of enlisted personnel from the Coast Defenses and from the National Army to the Regiment were made on December 20, 1917. The men of Battery D of the 56th Artillery came principally from the 38th Co. Long Island Sound, formerly members of the Connecticut Coast Artillery and members of the National Army most of whom came from Connecticut.
This was how Joseph Ferrigno came to be in Battery D, 56th Artillery, C.A.C. Joseph was given a service number and 624059 was stamped onto his round aluminum dog tags along with his name and rating of Mechanic. After the organization of the 56th Artillery was completed, the Regiment remained in the Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound until March 26, 1918. Orders were received by the Regimental Commander to move the Regiment on March 26. On the afternoon of March 26, the entire Regiment consisting of 62 officers and 1679 enlisted men left Fort H.G. Wright, New York for overseas. The Regiment traveled by boat to New London, Connecticut and from there by New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad to the Harlem River Yards, at this place the Regiment detrained and was transported by ferry to Pier 59 North River and boarded the Admiralty Transport No. 527, the RMS Olympic. Pvt. Ferrigno boarded the ship and he is listed on the passenger manifest on the March 28, 1918 sailing of the Olympic. Joseph listed his father, Francesco Ferrigno of 93 S. Main St, Danielson Connecticut. as the next of kin.
On March 28th the 56th Regiment consisting of 62 Officers and 1679 Enlisted men and the 59th Regiment with 69 Officers and 1712 Enlisted men together sailed on the White Star liner "Olympic," without convoy. Colonel Louis R. Burgess commanded the 56th Artillery and Colonel Sydney Grant, C.A.N.G., was in command of the 59th Regiment. The "Olympic" was headed for Liverpool, but wireless orders en route changed the course to Brest. Alternate concerts by the bands of the 56th and 59th helped relieve the tension that came from the daily wearing of life preservers and that even the arrival of the convoying destroyers, in the danger zone, could not remove.
While in France Pvt. Ferrigno participated in all battles that the 56th Artillery took part in and was advanced in rating to Private First Class. At the end of the war the 56th Artillery was ordered to sail for home and on January 5th, 1919 the entire Regiment, less Battery F left the camp at 3:00 am and marched to Brest and went aboard the U.S.S. South Dakota for transportation to the United States. The ship left Brest harbor at 1:00 pm, just nine months from the day the Regiment landed at Brest (April 5, 1918).
This time as Pvt. 1cl Ferrigno filled out his name on the passenger manifest as he boarded the South Dakota listed his brother Frank as next of kin living at the home on 93 S. Main Street in Danielson. Work of preparing discharge papers of all National Guard, National Army and Emergency Regulars was being done at Fort Schuyler, NY, from the 23-28 January and Pvt. 1cl Ferrigno was discharged from the Army.
By 1923 Joseph Ferrigno had married Mary D. Orlando also born in Tusa, Italy like Joseph. Mary was born on November 21, 1900 in Tusa, on the Island of Sicily. Mary's family according to the 1920 Federal Census lived in New London, Connecticut in a home owned by her father Mario who was 60 years old and worked as a farm laborer. Mary's mother may have been dead at the time of the taking of the 1920 Census on 17th of April 1920, as she is not listed. There were 6 children listed in the Orlando family, they were; Mary age 19, Rose age 16, Annie age 13, Josephine age 9, Mario, Jr. age 7 and John age 5. Mary, Rose and Annie were all born in Tusa, Italy and came to America in 1909. Josephine, Mario, Jr. and John were all born in Connecticut.
Joseph and Mary started their family and lived in a home owned by Joseph's father Francesco at 16 Jefferson Ave. in New London, Connecticut. The home was valued at $13,000 and Francesco and his wife Marie lived there with their son Frank. At that time Francesco owned a general machine shop and Frank worked as a house carpenter. Also in the home was the family of Joseph and Mary who paid $30 rent per month. Joseph owned his own company, which was Plumbing Contractor business. On April 17, 1930 when Cyril G. Warns took the Federal Census in the Ferrigno home, Joseph and Mary had 3 children. They were seven-year-old Marie G., five-year-old Jessma [sp] and 2-year-old Frank Jr.
Joseph Ferrigno worked as a plumber all his life and also worked for the Electric Boat Company in New London for a time. Electric Boat was known for building many of the US Navy's submarines. Joseph and Mary lived out the rest of their lives in the home at 10 Jefferson Ave., in New London just 6 houses away from the home which was owned by Joseph's father.
On May 12, 1982 at the age of 88 years Joseph Ferrigno passed away. His wife Mary lived another 11 years after Joseph passed on still in the home at 10 Jefferson Ave in New London. Mary passed away on April 20, 1993 in Stonington, Connecticut at the age of 92 years.
Pvt. William H. Pike
Pvt. William H. Pike died on Feb. 13, 1918 at 06:50 a.m. in the Post Hospital at Fort Terry, N.Y. of bronchial pneumonia. He was listed as a Private in Battery D of the 56th Regiment. It was noted that with the loss of Pvt. Pike the Regiment's strength level was 232 enlisted men. This information came from the book "History of Battery D, 56th Regiment C.A.C..." written by Corporal Frank H. Kirk Battery D Clerk.
On Pvt. Pike's headstones at "Evergreen Cemetery" in Plainfield, CT., located in Central Village, this is written:
Battery D., 56th Regiment, Coast Artillery Corps,
born 1892, died 1918, World War I"
Pvt. Adelard T. DeForest 624248
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On the left is Pvt. DeForest's dog tag along with a local New Hampshire Veterans medal. About a year after I saw this auction this very same dog tag was again up for auction, this time with out the New Hampshire medal. I purchased his dog tag and I now have it in my personal collection.
Adelard T. Deforest was born about 1891 and when he passed away at the age of 73 on 31 December 1964, was living with his wife Ethel in Darien, Connecticut. |
Several years ago I found this dog tag on ebay as I was searching for "Dog Tags" on the auctions. It is the dog tag of Pvt. Adelard T. DeForest 624248 of Battery D 56th Regiment C.A.C. I have checked the listings of names in the book I have ("History of Battery D, 56th Regiment C.A.C..." written by Corporal Frank H. Kirk Battery Clerk.) and his name appears on the muster roll of 31 March, 1918. The men were mustered at sea by Major Walter Singles C.A.C. aboard the transport H.M.S. Olympic. 231 men present and 2 men listed as absent sick. Pvt. DeForest's name in this muster roll list is spelled "Adalard" but on the dog tag it is "Adelard" The medal on the right of the below picture is a local New Hampshire medal, so I'm assuming that Pvt. DeForest was a New Hampshire native. During WWI the dog tags were made of Aluminum disks and were hand stamped letter by letter. So each dog tag has it's own special look to it. The ebay auction listed as $58 for the two items. I did not bid on them but downloaded these pictures for all to see. Pvt. DeForest's name was listed on the muster roll of August 16, 1918 when the Battery first went into action against "Fritz". The muster roll of November 11, 1918 shows the names of the men in the Battery at the time of the cease fire, they were still at the front on that date. Major John A. Hoag C.A.C. was in command of the 2nd Battalion on the last day of the War. Pvt. DeForest name was among those listed. This muster list showed that the Battery had 205 men present. Pvt. DeForest was also listed on the muster roll of 18 January, 1919 aboard the USS South Dakota anchored at Staten Island New York. On 28 January, 1919 a total of 169 men were discharged from the Battery. Pvt. DeForest was among those discharged that day.
Researched, compiled, written and edited by Joe Hartwell ©2006
This page was created on 12 March 2006 and last updated on
If you have research comments or additional information on this page e-mail them to: Joe Hartwell
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