Battery A, 56th Artillery, C.A.C.

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Battery A, 56th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps was composed principally of men from the 13th and 16th Co's, Long Island Sound. The 13th Co. was originally the 133rd Co. C.A.C.

On 28 March 1918 there were 228 enlisted men plus the below listed men in Battery A that sailed on the HMS Olympic. Battery A was commanded by the following Officers as of 28 March 1918:

Captain Roscoe Ellsworth Brightup
1st Lt. James Leslie Dewitt Corey
1st Lt. Frank Britton
2nd Lt. Wallace Earle Hawley
2nd Lt. Carroll Day Simmons
2nd Lt. Luther Wright Throckmorton

1st Sgt. Billie Hamilton Moore, Battery A 1st Sgt.

When the 56th Artillery Returned on 5 January 1919 from Brest, France only one officer returned with the Battery on the USS South Dakota. Below is a list of the men in charge of Battery A when they went aboard the USS South Dakota on 5 January 1919:

Captain Otis T. Bradley, Battery Commander
1st. Sgt. Harold F. Holt, Battery 1st Sgt
Sgt. Jeremiah Donovan, 1st Platoon
Sgt. Edward Wathen, 2nd Platoon
Sgt. Sidney Grenier, 3rd Platoon
Sgt.Lawrence Scott, 4th Platoon
Cpl. Charles H. Stewart, 5th Platoon

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Battery A Muster

As I find information on Battery A 56th Artillery men I will list them here in this section. If you had a family member in Battery A please contact me through the link at the bottom of this page.

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Private Carl Felix Mandabach, 623385

Carl was the son of Martin J. and Gertrude Mandabach. He was born February 13, 1894, Washington, Indiana. Carl was an employe of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He enlisted in U.S. Regular Army May 2, 1917, and was sent to Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Transferred to the Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound, New York and assigned to Battery A, 56th Coast Artillery. Embarked for overseas March 28, 1918 with the 56th Artillery on the transport HMS Olympic. Pvt Mandabach name does appear on the passenger manifest of Battery A and he listed his father as the person to notify in case of emergency. His fathers name was Martin John Mandabach from RFD #1 in Washington, Indiana. Assigned to duty as truck driver of Ammunition Train. Killed in explosion of ammunition dump, November 2, 1918. (Place unknown.)

Pvt. Clarence A. Norman, 595848

Clarence A. Norman was born December 9, 1894 in Chadron Nebraska. When America entered the war Clarence enlisted into the army and was assigned to Battery A, 56th Artillery, C.A.C. This is known from the passenger manifest of the HMS Olympic, on which the entire 56th Artillery sailed. The granddaughter of Clarence Norman, Patricia Kielmeyer told me that he was in Battery A and then I found his name on a copy of the passenger manifest that I have. This is what I found on the passenger manifest of the HMS Olympic:

On his return trip back from France Pvt. Norman sailed with the 56th Artillery on the Cruiser USS South Dakota and he his listed on that passenger manifest as well. He was listed as being in the 3rd Platoon of Battery A and this is what is listed:

The family does have a Battery A photo with Clarence in it. It has the words "Battery A, 56th Artillery, CAC, January 19, 1919" on it. Clarence did not speak much of the war and the only thing that was remembered that he did say about it was that "we hauled a howitzer around France". Patricia Kielmeyer relates about her grandfather; "Clarence was born December 9, 1894 in Chadron Nebraska. In 1897, his family, along with two other families, traveled by covered wagon to Minnesota. His father bought land, built a home and became a dairy farmer in rural Princeton Minnesota. Clarence went away to school and graduated from Northland Academy in Ashland, Wisconsin in 1916. After his discharge from the Army, he returned to Minnesota. He married Marie Kaufert in 1923. After living in Minneapolis for 6 years, they moved to rural Princeton (Greenbush Township) Minnesota where they farmed for 40 years before retiring. He died October 9, 1972. They had 3 children, 13 grandchildren and many great grandchildren. (And, now there are great- great- grandchildren). Clarence was a quiet, decent, modest man, who worked 12 to 14 hour days to keep his dairy farm operating seven days a week. I remember watching him milk cows and drive his John Deere tractor through the fields pulling the hay wagon while others loaded hay bales. Sometimes, I rode on the wagon while this was going on."

Pvt. 1cl, James Kelly, 596334, Battery A

Born 2 January 1897 in Mauston, Wisconsin and worked as a laborer before enlisting in the army. James enlisted at Bismarck, North Dakota on 1 february 1918 and was sent to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He was assigned to Battery A, 56th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps. He sailed with the 56th Artillery on the HMS Olympic and took part in the following actions in France; Offensives: Aisne-Marne; Oise-Aisne; Meuse-Argonne. Defensive Sector: Champagne. On 1 December 1918 he was advanced from grade of Private to Private First Class. After returning to the states with the 56th Artillery he was discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa, on February 8, 1919, as a Private 1st Class.

Captain Roscoe E. Brightup, Battery A Commander

Roscoe Ellsworth Brightup was born on August 31, 1888 in Bridgman, Michigan. Both of his parents were born in Ohio and not much of his early life is known. Roscoe after graduating High School went to college and became a high school teacher. About 1913 Roscoe joined the Corps of Cadets at the college he was attending where he was a Captain of the Infantry. After College he joined the R.O.T.C. program at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois where he was still attending when he registered for the WWI Draft on June 5, 1917. At the time he was employed as a High School teacher with the Rockford, Illinois school system and lived at 319 N. Court Street in Rockford, IL.

Roscoe was a single, medium built man with brown eyes and light brown balding hair. As Roscoe was already enrolled in the R.O.T.C. program and the fact that the Army was in great need of qualified officers he was graduated and sent for duty with the Coast Artillery Corps. He was given the rank of Captain and was sent for duty with the newly forming 56th Artillery, C.A.C. forming at Ft. Terry and Ft. Wright in New York. He was given command of Battery A, 56th Artillery and sailed to France with his regiment.

After the war ended he return to his home in Rockford, IL where he took a room with a Mrs. C. Ledger on Woodlawn Avenue. This is known from the 1920 Federal Census that was taken in January of 1920. At that time Roscoe was not employed and this may have been shortly after he returned from France. It is known that when the 56th Artillery returned from France in January of 1919 Captain Brightup was not Battery A Commander. It was common practice to replace Officers with those officers who would be discharged first and so he may have stayed in France with other duties and then returned at a later date.

About 1925 Roscoe met and married his wife who’s name was Gayle E. and she was born about 1898 in Ohio. Roscoe and Gayle lived in a home they owned on Harlem Blvd. in Rockford, IL. The home was valued at $18,500 and they had one of the few luxuries of the day, which was a radio set. Roscoe and Gayle had a daughter named Virginia G. born in the spring of 1926 and then a son named James R. born in May of 1928. By April of 1939 Roscoe supported the family by working as an advertising manager in a factory and also by renting a room in their home. The lodger was a 24-year old man named Joseph A. Crum who was an office manager for a contracting company.

Roscoe Brightup lived the rest of his long life in Rockford, IL and in January of 1981 at the age of 92 years and 5 months passed away.

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©2004 Joe Hartwell