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St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial

American Battle Monuments Commission
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St. Mihiel

American

Cemetery

 and

Memorial

LOCATION

The St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial is located at the west edge of 

Thiaucourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. The road from Verdun (29 miles/47 km), 

through Fresnesen-Woevre, passes the entrance to the cemetery and continues on to Ponta-Mousson and Nancy (29 miles/47 km). The cemetery may be reached from Paris by 

automobile (188 miles/300 km) via toll Autoroute A-3, from the Porte de Bercy, to the 

Fresnes-en-Woevre exit. From the village of Fresnes-en-Woevre, follow directions to 

Pont-a-Mousson (14-miles/22 km) to the cemetery. The cemetery may also be reached 

by train (Gare de I’Est) to Toul where taxi services are available. Hotels are available at 

Pont-a-Mousson, Metz, Nancy and Verdun. By calling the Superintendent or a member 

of his staff at 83-81-90-06, assistance will be provided to obtain hotel reservations or taxi 

service.

HOURS

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm except December 25 

and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the 

public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitors’ Building to answer questions and escort 

relatives to grave and memorial sites.

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HISTORY 

Toward the end of 1916, French and British commanders on the western front were 

optimistic concerning a successful conclusion of the war in 1917. Except for the loss of 

Rumania, events during 1916 had appeared to be working in favor of the Allies, who had 

numerical superiority on all fronts.
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As if to reinforce Allied optimism, the Germans on the western front began 

withdrawing some of their forces north of Paris to prepared positions approximately 20 

miles to the rear that could be held by fewer divisions. These defensive positions were 

later to be known as the Hindenburg Line. The Russian Revolution broke out while the 

German withdrawal north of Paris was still in progress. The revolution delivered a 

serious blow to Allied plans, as the Russian Army had been counted upon heavily to keep 

German troops occupied on the eastern front. Although the Russian Army did not 

collapse immediately, it was apparent that it soon would do so. 
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On 6 April 1917, the United States entered World War I with no modern equipment 

and less than 200,000 men under arms scattered from the Mexican border to China and 

the Philippines. It would take longer for the United States to mobilize, train, ship troops 

to France and equip and prepare them for combat than for the Russia Army to 

disintegrate. Despite this realization, the French and British Armies began the offensives 

that had been planned on the western front prior to the Russian Revolution in March. 

The initial British assault began on 9 April. It was followed by a French offensive on 16 

April. Quickly, the French offensive turned into a disaster leaving the British Army to 

shoulder the main burden of the war on the western front, until French forces could 

reorganize and recuperate. On the eastern front, the Russian started to attack but were 

promptly driven back. Shortly thereafter, an assault by the Germans in the north caused 

the Russians to seek an armistice. Although the treaty between Germany and Russia was 

not signed until March 1918, the Germans began moving divisions from Russia to France 

as early as November 1917, in an attempt to end the war before sufficient American 

troops could be brought into action to affect the outcome of the war.

As a consequence, the beginning of 1918 looked far worse for the Allies than the 

beginning of 1917. To take advantage of the troop that had been moved to France from 

the Eastern front, the Germans launched a series of five powerful offensives on 21 March 

1918. The first two offensives caused considerable concern among the Allies who 
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vehemently contended that if American soldiers were not sent immediately as 

replacements to fill the depleted ranks of their units, the war would be lost. General John 

J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, refused to 

allow his men to be used piecemeal and in a surprisingly short time organized, trained 

and equipped them into effective fighting units. When the French Army found itself in 

desperate need of assistance during the third and fifth German drives, General Pershing 

quickly offered American troop units to halt the advancing enemy.

The outstanding achievements of these U.S. troop units are recorded at the AisneMarne American Cemetery and Memorial and at the Chateau-Thierry Monument. When 

the last great German offensive commenced on 15 July east of Chateau-Thierry, it was 

promptly repulsed in a severe struggle in which American troop units played a leading 

part. Quickly, a U.S.-French counteroffensive was launched on 18 July at Soissons. The 

highly successful three-week battle that followed, known officially as the “Aisne-Marne 

Offensive” but called the “Second Battle of the Marne” by Marshal Ferdinand Foch, 

Allied Commander-in-Chief, marked the turning point of the war. 

Determined to keep the enemy on the defensive, the Allied Commander-in-Chief, 

at a conference on 24 July, planned a series of strong offensive operations to maintain the 

initiative and give the enemy no respite or opportunity to reorganize. Following 

completion of the Asine-Marne Offensive, the British, assisted by the French, were given 

the mission of conducting an offensive in the Amiens sector where the enemy had made 

such great gains in March and April.

At this conference, General Pershing chose the St. Mihiel sector for an American 

offensive. The objective of the offensive was a salient projecting 16 miles into the Allied 

line. Roughly shaped like a triangle, the salient ran from Verdun on the north, south to 

St. Mihiel and then east to Pont-a-Mousson on the Moselle River. It was bordered by a 

line of hills known as the Heights of the Meuse and a succession of marshes and lakes 

situated across deep ravines and dense forests. In addition to its natural defensive 

advantages, the salient protected the stragegic rail center of Metz and the Briey iron basin 

so vital to the Germans as a source of raw material for munitions. Offensively, it 

interrupted French rail communications and constituted a constant threat against Verdun

and Nancy. Reduction of the salient was imperative before any large Allied offensive 

could be launched against Briey and Metz or northward between the Meuse River and 

Argonne Forest. At the conference, General Pershing insisted that the attack be a United 

States Army operation with its own sector, under the separate and independent control of 

the American Commander-in-Chief. When the decision was made, there were over 

1,200,000 American soldiers in U.S. troop units widely scattered throught France, either 

serving with French or British Armies or training in rear areas. In view of the splendid 

record that so many of the U.S. units had already achieved in combat, the Allies were 

forced to agree that a separate U.S. Army should be formed, although they requested that 

U.S. divisions continue to be permitted to fight with their armies.

The order creating the United States First Army became effective on 10 August 

1918. On 30 August, the U.S. First Army took over the St. Mihiel sector. After a series 

of conferences, the Allies agreed that the St. Mihiel attack should be limited to a 

reduction of the salient, following which the U.S. First Army would undertake a larger 

scale offensive on the front between the Meuse River and the Argonne Forest. With the 
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attack at St. Mihiel scheduled for 12 September, this would require winning an 

extraordinarily swift victory there, then concentrating an enormous force to launch a still 

greater operation 40 miles away, within just two weeks. Never before on the western 

front had a single army attempted such a colossal task.

At 0500 hours, 12 September 1918, following a four-hour bombardment by heavy 

artillery, the U.S. I and IV Corps composed of nine U.S. divisions, began the main assault 

against the southern face of the salient, while the French II Colonial Corps made a 

holding attack to the south and around the tip of the salient. A secondary assault by the 

U.S. V Corps was made three hours later against the western face of the salient. Reports 

were soon received that the enemy was retreating. That evening, the order was issued for 

U.S. troops to press forward with all possible speed. By the dawn of 13 September, units 

of the U.S. IV and V Corps met in the center of the salient, cutting off the retreating 

enemy. By 16 September, the entire salient had been eliminated. Throughout these 

operations, the attacking forces were supported by the largest concentration of Allied 

aircraft ever assembled. The entire reduction of the salient was completed in just for days 

by which time some of the divisions involved had already been withdrawn to prepare for 

the Meuse-Argonne battle. 

SITE

The cemetery, 40 1⁄2 acres in extent, is located almost at the center of the salient where the 

majority of the 4,153 military Dead buried there gave their lives. The cemetery was first 

established as a temporary cemetery by the American Graves Registration Service 
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following the offensive in 1918. After the war, the other temporary cemeteries in the 

area were discontinued and the military Dead of the region whose next-of-kin requested 

burial overseas were moved to the St. Mihiel cemetery for permanent interment. It is the 

third largest of the eight permanent World War I American military cemetery memorials 

in Europe. Post-war administration of the cemetery passed to the American Battle 

Monument Commission in 1934.

The Commission, whose functions are described in the latter pages of this booklet, 

landscaped the grounds and constructed the memorial chapel and other permanent 

buildings in the cemetery.

ARCHITECTS

Architect for the memorial chapel and other architectural features was Thomas Harlan 

Ellett of New York City, New York. 

GENERAL LAYOUT
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The formal entrance, with its ornamental grill gates and fencing and its gem-like 

buildings, is of striking beauty and offers an excellent view of the cemetery. To the right 

of the entrance is the Superintendent’s Office; to the left is the Visitors’ Building. Both 

are constructed of Euville limestone. Directly behind these buildingsis the cemetery 

proper. Here, in a beautifully landscaped setting, are the graves area and the memorial. 

The pristine whiteness of the headstones is in striking contrast to the immaculately 

maintained emerald green lawn.

At the intersection of the central mall and transverse axis in the center of the 

cemetery is a large sundial of attractive design consisting of a carved stone eagle gnomon 

on a round base. The shadow cast by the eagle gnomon in relation to the lead Roman 

numerals set in the flat surface of the base indicates the time of day. Around the circular 

base of the sundial is carved the inscription:

TIME WILL NOT DIM THE GLORY OF THEIR DEEDS

From this point one can view the beautiful perspectives along the two axes of the 

cemetery. At the west end of the transverse axis is a sculptured stone figure of a youthful 

American officer, executed by Paul Manship of New York City, New York, standing in 

front of a stone cross in his field uniform, 

with trench helmet in hand and side arms 

and map case. Above his head is 

engraved.

IL DORT

LOIN DES SIENS

DANS LA DOUCE

TERRE DE FRANCE

(Translation: He sleeps far from his 

family in the gentle land of France.) And 

on the pedestal below him:

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT

HAVE THE HOME LONGING

FOR THEY SHALL GO HOME

At the opposite end of the transverse 

axis is an ornamental urn on a semicircular platform flanked by two beautiful 

yews. From this platform, facing the east, 

an excellent view of the surrounding rural 

countryside may be seen.
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THE MEMORIAL 

At the north end of the cemetery stands the memorial, an open circular colonnade or 

peristyle flanked by a chapel room on the left and a museum room on the right. On the 

left front facade of the memorial is engraved a lamp representing an eternal flame and 

under it the inscription:

1914-1918

TO THOSE WHO DIED

FOR THEIR COUNTRY

On the opposite facade appears the same lamp symbol and the same inscription in 

French.

The memorial rests on a slightly raised circular terrace and is enclosed by a stonefaced wall. On the lawn in front of it are two large flagpoles with stone and bronze bases. 

Large chestnut trees frame it on the sides and rear and immediately behind the memorial 

are two large weeping willows.

The memorial is constructed of Rocheret limestone. On the inside surface of the 

lintel is carved in the stone:
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THIS CHAPEL HAS BEEN

ERECTED BY THE UNITED

STATES OF AMERICA IN

GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF

HER SONS WHO DIED IN

THE WORLD WAR

These words emphasize that the memorial and, indeed, the entire cemetery were 

erected not to commemorate the glory of battle won or the triumph of victory achieved, 

but to pay homage to those American servicemen who made the supreme sacrifice for 

their country.

The large rose-granite urn with its carved drapery at the center of the peristyle 

resembles an ancient funereal vase. One of its decorative features is a winged horse, 

Pegasus, symbolizing the flight of the immortal soul to its resting place in the life 

beyond.

To the left of the peristyle, bronze doors, decorated with stars and two miniature 

soldier heads, lead to the impressive interior of the chapel room. The carved white Italian 

marble altar holds a lighted bronze lamp symbolic of an eternal flame. Above the altar is 

a richly-colored mosaic depicting the “Angel of Victory” sheathing a sword and “Doves 
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of Peace” bearing olive branches. At the top of the wall, carved in white marble with 

gold letters, is the inscription: 

I GIVE UNTO THEM

ETERNAL LIFE AND THEY

SHALL NEVER PERISH

The mosaics on the end walls have as their main features large shields displaying 

the national colors of the United States and of France.

The coffered ceiling is decorated in gold and blue, while the floor and lower wallpaneling are of inlaid marble with light and dark green markings. Dispersed about the 

chapel in appropriate places are graceful candelabra, cushioned seals and kneeling 

benches.

Crossing to the right side of the memorial one enters the museum through a similar 

set of bronze doors. On the wall directly opposite the doorway is a beautiful map of the 

St. Mihiel region inlaid with various colored marbles. This map showns the boundaries 

of the salient, the German lines before the offensive, the Allied lines after the battle and 

the progress of the campaign. On the side walls of the museum are black marble panels, 

at the tops of which are engraved:

IN MEMORY OF THOSE AMERICAN SOLDIERS

WHO FOUGHT IN THIS REGION AND

WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES.
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Listed below the inscription in gold letters are the names of the 284 American 

soldiers who gave their lives in this area, but whose remains were not recovered or 

identified.

THE GRAVES AREA

The graves area consists of four burial plots, lettered from A to D, separated by the 

central mall and the transverse axes. The 4,153 headstones are arranged in parallel rows 

across the green lawns, which carpet the grave area. One hundred and seventeen of these 

headstones mark the graves of “Unknowns”. The cemetery contains no multiple burials. 

Each of the Dead has his own headstone of white marble, a Star of David for those of the 

Jewish faith and a Latin cross for all others. The precise alignment of clean, polished 

marble headstones on clipped green grass assures the visitor that no feature of the 

cemetery receives more respectful care than does the graves area.

PLANTINGS

At the entrance gate to the cemetery is a large bed of flowering annuals. The main paths 

of the cemetery are bordered by square-trimmed European linden trees, their low 

overhanging boughs furnishing a canopy. Flower beds of polyantha roses are planted 

along the transverse axes. The base of the decorative sundial at the intersection of the 
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center mall and transverse axes in the center of the cemetery is surrounded by beds of 

flowering annuals and bordered with dwarf boxwood hedge.

VISITORS’ BUILDING

Located to the left of the entrance gate is the Visitors’ Building. Here visitors may obtain 

information, sign the register and pause to refresh themselves. During visiting hours a 

member of the cemetery staff is available in the building to answer questions and provide 

information on burials and memorializations in the Commission’s cemeteries, 

accommodations in the vicinity, travel local history and other items of interest.

MONTSEC MONUMENT

On a high isolated hill, 12-miles/19 km from the St. Mihiel American Cemetery, 

stands the Montsec Monument. It commemorates the capture of the St. Mihiel salient by 

the American First Army, the operations of the American Second Army on 9-11 
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November 1918, and other combat services of American divisions both in this region and 

in Alsace and Lorraine.

The monument consists of a large circular colonnade, at the center of which, on a 

raised platform, is a bronze relief map of the St. Mihiel salient. Its size, its commanding 

site, and the perfection of its proportions combine to make it one of the most impressive 

in Europe.

On the right side of a flight of steps leading to the monument is engraved:

THIS MONUMENT HAS BEEN ERECTED BY THE UNITED STATES OF 

AMERICA TO COMMEMORATE THE CAPTURE OF THE ST. MIHIEL SALIENT 

BY THE TROOPS OF HER FIRST ARMY AND TO RECORD THE SERVICES OF 

THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES ON THE BATTLEFRONT IN THIS 

REGION AND ELSEWHERE IN LORRAINE AND IN ALSACE. IT STANDS AS A 

LASTING SYMBOL OF THE FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE 

FRENCH AND AMERICAN ARMIES.

The same inscription is repeated in French on the left side of the flight of steps. Near the 

top of the monument on the outside lintel are engraved the names of villages and towns 

where battles were fought in this region:

THIAUCOURT – VIGNEULLES – FRESNES – VIEVILE – ST. BENOIT – NORROY 

– BENEY – JAULNY – FRAPELLE – HAUMONT – ST. HILAIRE – XAMMES –

NONSARD – VILCEY – ST. BAUSSANT – VANDIERES.