Warren, Francis (Sonny)

Francis W. Warren 1917-1974

USN

His Story as Told By His Sister Priscilla W. Pyatt

September 2, 2011

Dateline: December 7, 1941 and following

Recently, on our adventure to Connecticut, Lynne and I stopped to visit my mother at her apartment. She has many family pictures in one of her rooms. Lynne (whose husband is retired Navy) asked, "Who is that handsome sailor?" At this point, my mother launched into the story of her brother, Sonny.  Most of the "story" is the way I heard it most of my life, but there is at least one inaccurate detail (see below). 

My uncle Francis "Sonny" Warren, son of Riverious B. and Josephine Strup Warren, was born in Farmington, Connecticut in 1917. His parents met in October 1916 and after a whirlwind romance on a motorcycle, they married in January 1917. Sonny was born in October. Upon her pregnancy and birth of her first born, my grandfather bought a side car.  Two other siblings joined the family Raymond W. (1919) and Priscilla (1920). Raymond died in his teens. Priscilla is now almost ninety-one!

In 1939 Sonny joined the Navy. Between being teased by the Navy's motto of "Join the Navy, See the World" and being caught in the throes of the Great Depression, it seemed like a good thing to do. After boot camp, he was assigned to the light cruiser Helena. The ship was part of the Pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.

This particular Sunday morning, Sonny and many of his ship mates were on deck getting ready to go to church. Sonny had a need to use the head. This probably saved his life. While there, he started to hear explosions and thought there were some crazy guys working off Saturday night by messing in the ammunition dump. He went topside asked what was going on. "The Japs are attacking!" His response was that was impossible as we were not at war with Japan

In the meantime, General Quarters were being sounded. "Man Your Stations!" "This is not a drill!" "Man your stations!" As a gunner's mate, his station was topside. He could see the faces of the Japanese pilots as straffed his fellow sailors. With big smiles and laughter (this statement has been repeated by many who were there).. The ship was damaged. Sonny received a thirty day "survivor leave." The ship was sent back to San Francisco for repairs.

After recuperation for both the sailors and the ship, they rejoined the Pacific fleet. Thirteen major sea battles!



Helena and St. Louis in action at Kula Gulf, seen from Honolulu


Then one dark night one more battle--the Battle of Coral Sea (she thought)--the Helena was stuck and started sinking.  (Actually it was sunk at the Battle of Kula Gulf.  Her brother struck his head against the bulkhead, but was not knocked unconscious. Many of the guys jumped overboard into the heavy slick of oil that covered the sea. An alternative was to climb down the overboard netting, which Sonny chose to do. He had his life jacket on which had to be blown up. He did this and entered the water where he held onto a life raft until he was rescued by a troop transport, the President Polk. (In telling this tale, my mother mentioned that she never knew that there was a Presient named Polk before.  She is incorrect in this fact as the President Polk was not commissioned until October 1943.  Kula Gulf Battle took place in July, 1943.  It may have been the next ship to which Francis was assigned.)  September 25, 2913  Correction by Mother.  The USS Radford rescued him.  The USS President Polk was the next ship on which he served

Many men saw lights on a near by island. Friend or foe? Sonny was not going to take the chance. Several men in life rafts rowed to the island. They were never seen or heard from again.

My mother did not say whether he got another "survivor's leave" or not.

A few years after his discharge, he developed seizures. The family believed that these came from that day of his ship going down. He had not reported it. With all the commotion, I guess he did not feel that it was important. With water, oil slick, fire, one would hardly run to ones commanding officer with a bump on ones head. So, with that said, Sonny was not covered for a war related injury. He paid for all his doctors and medication from his own pocket until he died in 1974 from a brain tumor. My mother felt that brain tumor was a residual reaction from that fateful day. Truly one of America's unsung heroes.


http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-h/cl50.htm

USS Helena (CL-50)

1939-1943

USS Helena, a 10,000-ton Saint Louis class light cruiser built at the New York Navy Yard, was commissioned in September 1939. After serving in the Atlantic in 1939-40, she was transferred to the Pacific, where she spent the rest of a short, eventful career. While tied up alongside 1010 dock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, Helena was hit by a single torpedo during the Japanese raid, flooding an engine room and boiler room. Repair and modification work at the Pearl Harbor and Mare Island Navy Yards lasted through June 1942.

In the summer of 1942, Helena was sent to the South Pacific, where she participated actively in the Guadalcanal campaign. She rescued survivors of USS Wasp (CV-7) when that carrier was sunk by an enemy submarine on 15 September. Twice, in the 11-12 October Battle of Cape Esperance and the 13 November 1942 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Helena engaged in night surface combat, making important contributions to thwarting Japanese bombardments of vital Henderson Field. In January 1943, late in the Guadalcanal campaign, she twice shelled Japanese bases on New Georgia and Kolombangara islands.

Following a quick overhaul at Sydney, Australia, Helena returned to the combat zone in March 1943. She again bombarded enemy positions before and during the invasion of New Georgia and Rendova. In the early morning of 6 July 1943, Helena was part of a task force that fought Japanese destroyers in the Battle of Kula Gulf. Hit by three torpedoes in that action, the cruiser was broken into three parts and sunk, with the loss of nearly 170 of her crewmen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kula_Gulf

BATTLE of KULA GULF

Dateline: July5, 1943:
USN  (TG 36.1)—commanded by Rear Admiral W.L. Ainsworth.  The Task Group consisted of the light cruisers (light cruisers were named for cities) USS Honolulu (CL-48), USS St. Louis (CL-49), and USS Helena (CL-50), and four destroyers, had received word of another "Tokyo Express"* mission down "the Slot"** in the Solomon Islands, and the task group proceeded northwest past New Georgia Island.

The Allies were in the process of launching their next offensive in the Solomon Islands, having just landed troops on the island of Rendova as a preliminary step to seizing the major Japanese airstrip at "Munda" on New Georgia Island. In support of this landing, which was to set up an initial beachhead for moving U.S. troops across Blanche Channel to New Georgia, Admiral Ainsworth had the night before conducted a cruiser bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara Island and Bairoko on New Georgia and, short of fuel and ammunition, was in the process of retiring to the Coral Sea to replenish. The US Marines had a scheduled landing on the northern shore of New Georgia on 10 July, that would require further naval support.

Ahoetly after one A.M. off Kolombangara, the task group came into contact with a Japanese reinforcement group commanded by Admiral Teruo Akiyama which consisted of ten destroyers loaded with 2,600 combat troops that were bound for Vila, which they used as a staging point for moving into Munda. The Japanese were divided into two forces, a formation of three escorts trailing the main column first came under attack.

The U.S. ships opened fire close to 2:00 A.M., firing 612 shells in 21 minutes and six seconds. The destroyer Niizuki was sunk and Admiral Akiyama killed. The Helena, however, had expended all of her flashless powder (used primarily for night time shooting) the previous night.  Using her smokelss (used for daytime warfare) powder,she was illuminated to Japanese ships with every discharge of her guns.. Two of the Japanese destroyers launched their Long Lance torpedoes/ The Helena was fatally damaged. The main Japanese force, which had countermarched away from Vila with the first contact, then broke away, having landed only 850 of the 2,600 troops. One Japanese destroyer--Nagatsuki--ran aground and another==Hatsuyuki--was damaged.

Both forces began to withdraw from the area, but one Japanese and two American destroyers remained to rescue survivors. At about 05:00, the destroyers Amagiri and USS Nicholas exchanged torpedoes and gunfire. Amagiri was hit and retired. The beached Nagatsuki was abandoned by her crew in the morning, she was bombed and sunk by American aircraft.

The destroyers USS Radford and Nicholas both stayed behind to rescue survivors from Helena. While rescuing over 750 men, Radford and Nicholas had to reengage the enemy three times, they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their rescue. Amagiri escaped.

*The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The tactic involved loading personnel or supplies onto submarines and fast warships (e.g., destroyers), and using the warships' speed capability to deliver the personnel or supplies to the desired location and return to the originating base all within one night so Allied aircraft could not intercept them by day.

The original name of the resupply missions was "The Cactus Express" as coined by Allied forces on Guadalcanal, using the codename for the Guadalcanal operation. After the U.S. press began referring to it as the "Tokyo Express," apparently in order to preserve operational security for the codeword "Cactus," Allied forces also began to use that phrase in place of "Cactus Express." The Japanese called the night resupply missions Rat Transportation, because they took place at night.

**

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	US Navy light cruiser of the St. Louis (CL50) class.  Built in NY Navy Yard; laid December 8, 1936; launched August 27, 1939; sunk (lost) July 5, 1943 at 07.46S, 157.11E.
	Another sources comments:
The USS Helena under the command of Captain Charles Purcell Cecil was participating   the Battle of Kula Gulf.  She was struck by three topedoes from Japanese warships.  The ship  was blown in two and sank killing 193 of the 888 crew.  Officially, 446 surviors (including the wounded Captain Cecil) were picked up by the destroyer USS Radford.
	Commands listed for USS Helena (i) (CL 50) <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><></> Command From To 1 Capt. Max Burke Demott, USN 18 Sep 1939 14 Jul 1941 2 Capt. Robert Henry English, Jr., USN 14 Jul 1941 6 Mar 1942 3 Gerald D Linke, USN 6 Mar 1942 29 Mar 1942 4 Oliver Middleton Read, USN 29 Mar 1942 25 Sep 1942 5 Capt. Gilbert Corwin Hoover, USN 25 Sep 1942 23 Nov 1942 6 Capt. Charles Purcell Cecil, USN 23 Nov 1942 6 Jul 1943

Gladding, Timothy

www.nps.gov/anti/

16th CT monument at Antietam

From the east side of the monument:
16th Connecticut
Vol. Infantry
2nd Brigade
3rd Division
9th Army Corps

From the south side:

                      Number engaged - 779
Casualties
Killed 43
Wounded 161
Total 204

From the west side:

 Position of
the 16th Conn.
Vol. Infantry
5 P.M. - Sept. 17, 1862

From the north side:

 Erected
by the
State of
Connecticut
1894

Like many surnames, there can be various spellings.  Sometimes, the name was spelled the way the person hearing it thought it should be thus or so.  With the Gladding family there are many variations.  On official records, it can be seen as Gladding, Gladden, Gladwyn or Gladwin.  Having said this, one might verify his records under any of these names (and probably a few other variations).

Timothy Gladding

Sixteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry

1832-1862

Dateline:  September 17, 1862

Timothy Gladding was like many of the other young men in the towns of Farmington and New Britain, Connecticut in the spring of 1862.  They heard President Lincoln's call for 300,000 more men to save the Union.

Farmington and New Britain had very close ties.  Farmington was the mother town for thirteen other towns (later a fourteenth joined these ranks).  As population increased and moved to the outskirts, new church parishes started from the mother church in Farmington.  New Britain bordered the southwest corner of Farmington.  Families moved back and forth.  Portions of the family may have lived in Farmington; others in New Britain.

Connecticut would have sent more than half of its male population from ages 18-45 (plus and minus these ages) off to the sounds of martial strains.  Of Connecticut's 169 towns, Farmington sent more men proportionately than any other town.  Farmington, now a bedroom town for Hartford, was a small farming community with a population of about 900 made up of three parts--Farmington, Unionville and White Oak (later Plainville--which had as yet not made the move that the other thirteen towns had in becoming autonomous from their mother).  Despite the small size of the town, however, one hundred and fifteen men were moved to the patriotic call to serve their country during this long, arduous, and bloody war.

Most of the men enlisting from Farmington and New Britain and most of Connecticut were farmers.  Others were mechanics (physical or skilled laborers).  Timothy's father was a carriage maker.  Timothy had moved to New Britain, probably near the town line.  It is likely that he worked with his father.

As any history buff knows, the North and South called almost any given battle by at least two names--the North usually for a physical landmark...a brook, mountain, ridge--the South, the closest town.  Thus, we see the words Antietam and Sharpsburg.  It is the same battle.  However, these names were not yet carved in stone (so to speak).  In October, Candace C. Pyatt, wrote to her husband Sam (13th CT, Co A) about the battle of Sharpsburg.

Timothy stood with his Regiment--The Connecticut 16th, Company G near the town of Sharpsburg ready to go into action.  He was thirty years old.  His thoughts may have been on his brother Agariah (or Azariah) who had mustered in earlier that same year and had gone to New Orleans to be part of the garrison under General Benjamin Butler with the Thirteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.  His brother had been discharged for disability (later he reenlisted in and served again in the southern Louisiana are with the Twenty-fifth Connecticut).

Little did he know that this would be his last day on earth.  In Candace's letter, she told Samuel "Timothy Gladding (Gladden) brother of Agariah was killed at the battle of Sharpsburg."  He appears to be the only "boy" killed in the battle, although many others may have died from wounds, as it was noted in history books of "many wounded."  Not the best way to become unique, but unique nonetheless.

He had enlisted in Sixteenth, organized with the first seventy-six men of Company G and went into camp July 24, 1862.  The command of the Regiment was given to Colonel Francis (Frank) Beach of Hartford, an officer in the regular Army on August 14.  Frank W. Cheney, also of Hartford, was appointed Lt. Colonel. 

Many regiments gave themselves nicknames (or others may have so given them).  The Sixteenth was the "Plymounth Pilgrims."

A booklet entitled History of Battle-Flag Day (published 1879) described the departure of the Sixteenth from Hartford, "On Friday August 29, 1862 the regiment broke camp and slowly marching up Main street through the surging throng of people gathered to see them off, Governor Buckingham and his staff riding at the head of the column, went on board the steamers City of Hartford and George C. Collins for New York." (sic capitalization and punctuation).

The Regiment had been moved rapidly from New York via Harrisburg to a camp at Arlington Heights, outside of Washington City.  The next portion of their journey was accomplished hurriedly through forced marches reaching the Army of the Potomac.  Although the Regiment had already been exposed to the horrors of war as they had witnessed the wagon trains of ambulances returning from Second Bull Run to Washington, they had not yet had the "opportunity" to join the fight. 

The first battle for most regiments were quite some time after mustering.  But the Sixteenth was about to see the elephant as the morning of September 17, 1862 dawned, only twenty days after having left Hartford in a parade led by the Governor as raw recruits.  They were exhausted from forced marches.  The Regiment had very little drilling...and never a battalion drill.  On the eve of the battle, many had not yet fired their muskets.

Upon arrival in Maryland, the Sixteenth was brigaded on the battlefield with the Eighth and Eleventh Connecticut, Fourth Rhode Island.  The Eleventh had been held in reserve to protect an artillery battery.

At Antietam Willcox, Sturgis, and Rodman were the commanding generals for this Corps.  Cox's Division had been teporarily transferred into this Corps.  Part of the Second Corps was the Fourteenth Connecticut, the only other Connecticut Infantry to participate in this battle

At the end of the day, locations in and around the tiny Town of Sharpsburg, near Antietam Creek, would go down in the annals of history as America's bloodies day.  Previously benign and peaceful names such as East Woods, North Woods, West Woods, Dunker Church,THE cornfield (Miller's Farm), Mumma Farm, Roulette Farm, Piper Farm, and Sunken Road (which immediately acquired the not-so-peaceful name of Bloody Lane) would become known around the world for the horrific day.

Home, churches, stores were filled with the wounded and dying.  Every available piece of land held its own gruesome tale.

Probably the most famous landmark is Rohrbach Bridge (named after a local farmer) or Lower Bridge which crossed the Antietam Creek.  It is today known as Burnside Bridge.  In the vicinity of this bridge is the place where the Sixteenth was baptized by fire.

Burnside's IX Corps made several tries to cross the Antietam and take that bridge.  The Yankees--through a series of blunders (the least of which  was that the creek could have been crossed without the bridge...the water level was less than waist deep), miscommunication, bad judgment calls on the part of the Union, total confusion on the part of many of the troops (for the most part due to lack of training)--were easily held at bay. In addition, Georgian General Toombs held a better, higher position on a ridge above the creek.  A few hundred Georgians was all that was needed to keep Burnside's Corps away most of the day.

And, then, more trouble came for the IX Corps.  Relief!  Not for the Union troops, but for the Georgians in the form of A. P. Hill's Division of exhausted North Carolinian troops (part of Jackson's army) arriving from Harper's Ferry.  Union General Miles had surrendered.  At this time Confederate General Hill's Division marched seventeen miles and swung into battle immediately.  Three brigades filed in with Toombs at his right (southern).  Hill's timing and chosen position was perfect.  The southern most Union brigade was the most vulnerable.  This was the brigade led by Colonel Harland.  The Eleventh Connecticut had been used earlier as skirmishers.  This left only three regiments. not part of this bridgade,  Fairchild's Zouaves, who were also on the field--advancing against Toombs, moved so quickly that Harland and his Regiment could not keep up with them.

Nevertheless, Harland gave the order to advance. Only one of his brigades heard the order (Eighth Conn.); the Fourth Rhode Island and the Sixteenth lagged behind causing a breech in the line that the veteran Hill exploited.  Rodman, who saw what was about to happen, galloped forward to warn the raw troops, only to be mortally wounded (the ninth Union General to fall at Antietam).   The men fell by the score. 

The timing of Hill's Division joining the battle was such that The Confederate General Maxcy Gregg's brigade was still marching in columns of four.  Gregg's order was "Commence firing, men, and form the line as you fight."

Although the Sixteenth tried to return the fire, the fire power from the Confederates had been overpowering.  They were in a cornfield owned by John Otto.  The corn was so high, one could not tell friend from foe.  Total confusion reigned!  Raw recruits, unheard orders, inability to see over the corn.  Confusion!!!   More confusion was added by A. P. Hill's troops who had appropriated--and were wearing--many blue uniforms at the Harper's Ferry victory.  The men of the Sixteenth dropped by the dozens.

The Sixteenth broke and ran, taking the Rhode Islanders with them--leaving the men of the Connecticut Eighth out in front almost by themselves.  Cox sent relief in the form of Ohioans, which were portions of Kanawha's Division.  This was to no avail, as they too fell back.  Hill had broken the Union's far left. 

The Zouaves, who wanted to continue the fight, were now alone at the far left of the field.  They had to be ordered off the field.  Unlike the other units, who were untested in battle and broke and ran, the Zouaves retired in order.

History of Battle-Flag Day describes the above scene of the Sixteenth's initiation to battle as being "thrust to the fore-front of battle..., and in the fatal cornfield was confronted by the veteran troops of Stonewall Jackson, fresh from Harper's Ferry and flushed with their victory over Colonel Miles.  Posted  upon higher ground, partially protected by a stone wall and concealed from view by the waving corn, the rebels poured a destructive fire into the regiment, which in endeavoring to charge front, had been thrown into some confusion.  A portion of the regimental line engaged the enemy in a hand to hand conflict, while the remainder, owing the conformation of the field and the breaking of their line, were unable in the thick corn, which waved higher than their heads to even see the rebels who were pouring such a devastating fire into their midst.  The could only stand and take it.  The regiment finally retired from the cornfield, its place being filled by the gallant Eighth Connecticut." 

Such was the day.  Casualties were high and statistics were created.  The Sixteenth had lost four captains, one lieutenant and fifty-one enlisted men to death.  With the wounded and captured, the Regiment had over four hundred casualties.  But Farmington/New Britain mourned--not for the statistics--but for losing another one of their own beloved men. A well-known and well-liked local man had given his all.  He died in a battle that became America's worst day.

This same loss was repeated throughout countless of other small towns...North and South.  How much like home this cornfield in a little town in Maryland must have seem to may of the "boys" and yet...

As is oft the case, statistics can differ from resources.  I got mine from two different sources producing slightly different numbers.
Statistics for Maryland Campaign
Initial Strength: 779
Killed in Action (KIA): 43
Wounded (WIA): 161
Losses, % of Initial Strength: 26.2%

Chain of Command:
Army - Army of the Potomac
Second Brigade,  Third Division, Ninth (IX) Army Corps

Timothy is one of nineteen men whose name is listed on the Civil War monument in Riverside Cemetery.  This monument was placed in the late 1800's  These names are the men who died during the late unpleasantness.  A"new" monument. dedicated in 1992, stands in front of the Town Hall.  This monument lists all "casualties" from all of our America Wars.  Timothy is one of sixty-five names on that monument for Farmington men in the Civil War.

In a small church on Main Street in the middle of the town of Sharpsburg is a beautiful "Connecticut" stained glass window.  Many of those wounded and transported to that church were Connecticut men.  After the war, they collected money to honor the church that had done so much for so many of them.


Reference Sources:  Letters from private collection, Regimental History, Official Records, Gladding personnel record from archives and personal observation.