Show BATTLE D axtt A L F S A FT AMERICAN MEN washington abe first three amerlean amor soldiers to tile die lit in battle on oil french so soil 11 full fell in the village of bout about twelve miles east cast of nancy alie thc population of tills this region decided to erect it monument commemorating their sacrifice and a replica of tills this proposed monument was waa sent seat to prea ident wilson allson by ambassador sharp nt at parts a few months month ago at tile the request of those in charge of X alno project originally it was tile intention to hot leold d tin the ceretti ceremony ony 0 of 1 dedication in I 1 lie very village of where it alo to birco young heroes hall had given their lives for freedom fiLc dom but tile tho community was situated so near tile firing line that tile lie ceremony had to ho be hold held nt it nancy ambassador sharp lifts bus sent seat to tile alic state department a graphic re port on oil the subject A largo large crowd of d distinguished agul people were present at the ded leation exercises M X minna All millin n in ilia address before a huge assembly at nancy emphasized thu the tact fact that tile three young heroes in fit whose honor tho the monument had been erected were not indeed tho the first Americ americans nils whose whoa blood had tinged the battlefields of prance france young nien men from the united states impatient to fight had enrolled voluntarily lit in the french and english armies find and already in their num ijuin her ber exceeded carried american flag A very touching incident illustrates tile the patriotism of the those so americans who had french foreign legion before the united states entered the war not being able to light openly under tinder the star spangled banner they procured till nil american lag flag find and decided that each cadi of them lit in turn should carry it wrapped around lila his breast in tills this wily way our lag flag was present in fill all those numerous combats in which tile tho colors of lie foreign legion participated twice it was pierced eed by bullets ca and stained ed with tho wood of W once lio lie who carried it roll fell tho Atner american ican volunteers searched tile hold field and found comrade coin rilde took arnin his hotly body tile lio well beloved colors and armed with tills this cin blein they went forward to now exploits when the united states took up lip tile insulting instilling defiance de flance of these american volunteers already voter llew tool took their places in it their netlon nl at aminy tind presented to france franc tills this ling flag which so proudly they had borno through numerous ini battles but ties and ilia deposited it nt fit tile Invalid In ed A few days after tile first amerl t eains entered the trenches tile germans desired to test tile worth of their now new enemy they directed tin nn attack against the hie sector valiantly lid did tile american AmerIc tin soldiers support their b baptismal fit ire fire did not yield an inch they did not yield ono one inch of their positions the enemy who alio had penetrated for n moment into their trenches withdrew leaving numerous lead dead three americans americana were killed in tho french lines one pierced by a revolver volver rd shot shot tile tho other two stabbed with pon poll lards they interred in w field below the on oil which i are clustered tile houses of tile tho village of bethel mont finont it was decided that tile the naine 1 I of these cheso three first victims should bo be inscribed ou 00 stone and niti I 1 ough tile project could not be given dimensions in keeping with tho the importance of tile historic fact to be commemorated tho the design Is and was vas drawn by louis majorette tile the cross and the thistle b bf lorraine Lorr alno are arc entwined with the stars ot Ain america erlea tile tho on one ono side roads rends TO UNITED STATER that on the other side bide i here in ila lorraine Lorral ns territory reposo repose tho the three first american soldiers eold lera killed by tho enemy on november sd 83 1911 cor corporal po rat JAMRS n B CHESHAM 0 of o evansville private THOMAS P F 0 of o private D HAY of fot Clid chidden den As AB worthy sons bona of their great and noble nation they hiiva have ought lor justice Ju allce laferty and C civilization against german imperialism the scourge of the human race raca THEY DIED ON THE DATTLE BATTLE FIELD thus it Is that on tile the faco face of this monument Is engraved in fit enduring letters lettera tile the fact that in lorraine territory reposo repose the first three fallen american soldiers |