Frederick Warren's biography, Charlotte, Eaton County, Michigan ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ SUBJECT: Frederick G. WARREN SUBMITTER: Jan Lubitz Sedore EMAIL: am0773@a1access.net DATE: Jul 09, 1999 SURNAMES: WARREN, HEALE, WILCOX PAST AND PRESENT OF EATON COUNTY PAGE 620-624 FREDERICK G. WARREN Frederick G. Warren, ex-postmaster of Charlotte, and a prominent citizen of Eaton County, is a native of England, where he was born on February 18, 1845. He is the son of John Warren, an Englishman, who after losing his wife by death in the mother country, brought his little family to the United States and located in Huron County, Ohio. There he married a second time, and there spent the major portion of the balance of his life. He died, however, at the home of his daughter in charlotte, Michigan, where he spent the last year of his life. His remains were returned to Ohio for burial and with those of his wife lie in the family plot in Huron County. Frederick G. Warren was reared to young manhood in the Buckeye State. His education was secured in the local public schools, but his schooling was interrupted by the breaking out of the Civil War. In the fall of 1861 the Fifty-fifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry was recruited at Norwalk, Ohio, and our subject's youthful patriotism and loyalty led him to tender his services to the government in the defense of the Union. Being at that time under seventeen years of age his father objected to his enlisting, and he warned the officers that they must not take him. But parental objection in no wise dampened the ardor of the young Warren, and arrangements were made between him and the Captain of Company G of the Fifty-fifth Michigan, by which he was to remain at his father's home until the regiment received marching orders, and them slip quietly away, and with the regiment he would be out of the state, and on the way to the front before his father could interpose. One day in January 1862, the regiment moved, young Warren with it, and before another twenty-four hours elapsed he was in West Virginia. After the campaigns of 1862, the regiment went into winter quarters near Fredericksburg, Va. The regiment left its winter quarters on April 27, 1863, and took up the march for Chancellorsville. At the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, on May 2, 1863, our subject was wounded in the left leg, the bullet striking the calf and splintering both bones. He fainted and fell to the ground, and upon recovering consciousness he discovered that the Federal troops were gone, and he was in plain sight of the lines of the enemy. Not-withstanding his sufferings, his dread of capture overcame his pain, and he decided to make an effort to rejoin his regiment, and was hobbling off the field, when he was commanded to halt. Not heeding the command he was fired upon and a ball struck him in the other leg, entering about four inches below the knee and imbedding itself in the bone to about the depth of the ball. He fell to the ground, and the enemy continuing to fire on him, he was for the third time wounded while lying on the ground, the ball striking him in the right leg about two inches below the other wound. While in this predicament, too badly wounded to walk or crawl, and in danger of being shot to pieces if he remained in that place, as the battle had been renewed in that part of the field, he still endeavored to escape capture and probable death, and, aided by the gathering darkness he rolled over and over until he reached a ditch, and into this he rolled and found at least temporary shelter from the flying bullets. He had not been in the ditch more than a minute or two when the rebels began crossing over it, and though seen by them they paid little attention to him, their minds being on the raging battle. Soon his position in the ditch became most perilous, as it was soon filled and covered over with falling limbs and trees, and our wounded soldier was buried from sight. The ambulance corps had passed over that part of the field after the fighting ceased, but our subject was not discovered, and from the evening of May 2 (Saturday) until the evening of May 4 (Monday) he lay in the ditch all alone, wounded, thirsty and hungry. At about four o'clock in the afternoon of Monday he heard voices in the woods, and hailing them, he was finally rescued from his terrible position, but his rescuers proved to be rebels. They carried him in a blanket to the field hospital, half a mile distant. Eight days later he was handed a parole signed by General R. E. Lee. Following this he was removed in ambulances with other wounded paroled prisoners, and ultimately, reached Alexander, Va., from whence he was taken to Chestnut Hill Hospital near Philadelphia. Four months later he was taken to a hospital at Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until January 1, 1864, when he was transferred to the One Hundred and Twentieth Company, Second Battalion Veteran Reserve Corps, and he was sent to Evansville, Ind., and assigned to duty under the Provost marshal, and there he remained until his term of enlistment expired. Other engagements participated in by Mr. Warren, previous to Chancellorsville were: McDowell, Va., Cross Keys, Va., White Sulphur Springs, Va., Franklin Va., and Cedar Mountain, Va., and Second Bull Run. He was honorably discharged in January 1865. After being mustered out of the army, Mr. Warren returned to his old home at Bellevue, Ohio, and there remained for several years. He then came to Flint, Michigan, where for some time he and his brother were engaged in the meat-market business. In 1877 Mr. Warren came to Charlotte, and engaged in mercantile pursuits, continuing the same until 1894. In the fall of 1889 he was appointed by President Harrison postmaster at Charlotte, which position he held for four and a half years, going out of office under the Cleveland administration. His administration of the affairs of the post office was characterized by up-to-date methods and fine executive ability, and so satisfactory was his work as postmaster that he won the approbation of his fellow citizens of Charlotte, and was highly complimented for his efficiency by the then Postmaster General, John Wannamaker. Mr. Warren has served two terms as a member of the Charlotte City council. Mr. Warren was instrumental with others, in organizing, in 1892, the Charlotte Improvement Company, of which he became president and J. M. C. Smith, secretary. This company opened what is known as Lincoln Park addition to the City of Charlotte, and Warren Avenue; in that addition, one of the finest thoroughfares of the city was named in his honor. When the project of opening up Lincoln Park addition was first brought to the attention of the public it was looked upon by many with cynicism, but the good judgment of the promoters has long since been acknowledged by all, for that is today probably one of the finest districts of the city, and is built up compactly with modern residences, and has the best of improvements in all respects. Mr. Warren was also one of the organizers of the Citizens Protective Association of Charlotte, a substantial and popular mutual insurance society for the issuing of life, accident and sick benefit insurance. The organization was chartered under the laws of Michigan in 1905, and the officers are as follows: President, Robert Donovan; Vice President, C. A. Wilcox; Secretary and Treasurer, Frederick G. Warren; Medical Director, Dr. Vinton J. Rickard, and Organizer, Dewey Comer. The association's business reaches out all over the State of Michigan Mr. Warren is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the G. A. R. and the Masonic fraternity (chapter, commandery, consistory and shrine), and is a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church. On November 1, 1868, Mr. Warren married Miss Hariet E. Heale, and to them have been born three children: George B. who is Secretary of the Postal Insurance Company of South Bend, Ind.: Della, who married Clarence A. Wilcox, of Charlotte, and Myrtie J., who is still at home. After leaving the post office in 1894, Mr. Warren engaged in merchandising at Benton Harbor, Michigan, but eight years later he returned to Charlotte, and purchased the old Dudley homestead on North Cochran Avenue, which is one of the attractive residences of the city, has there made his home.