South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-21
TELLS Of FIRST
AMERICAN GRAVES
Artist Describes Cemetery in
Which First u. S. SOL
dierS Are Buried.

PARIS, Jan. Correspond
ence) -Henry Bordeaux. the
French novelist. giving in the Re
vue Hebdomdaire an account of his
recent visit 10 the graves of the
first three soldiers Of the American
eXpeditionary force to fall on the
French front, says: Later on
monument will rise there. later on
the name of that obscure village
that l cannot reveal now will be
known and will resound across the
ocean. Visitors Will come in
thrOngs. even from over the seas, 10
contemplate the horizon and
breathe the air impregnated with
the atmosphere of sacrifice and
glory that makes peoples strong
and individuals audacious and per
severing."
Those graves are situated alons
the stone wall Of a little Lorraine
village" he says. "a tiny village
right up next TO the front Ii is
nearly intact and some of the in
habitants are still sticking TO their
firesides there. The church clock
marks the hour though the church
bell rings no more.
"A shell bursts in the neighbor-
hood from time 10 time and the
peasants pause to listen TO the ex-
plosiOn, then go on with their
work. There are COWS in the sheds
and poultry scratching about the
barnyard with assurance.
The church is built on a hillside
Ian Of h,sgf "a,
that seem 70 have been built upon
the site of an ancient stronghold.
Stretching away from the buildings
there is a high stone wall alongside
of which is a line of graves marked
with wooden crosses from which fly
the French tricOlor They are the
( tombs of French soldiers killed
most of them, at the end of Au-
, gust, 1914, when the Germans after
the battle OF Morhange tried 10 in
wade this part of Lorraine but were
repulsed.
Three Graves.
There are three more graves.
isolated from the rest, in front of
/ the wall where it rises before the
buildings. freshly dug, with chrys-
anthemums not yet faded scattered
over them. These are the tombs Of
. the first American soldiers killed
during the war on this front for the
liberation OF the world.
Corp. Gresham and Soldiers
Heinright and Hay were buried on
the fourth Of November in the lit.
tie village close to the scene OF the
fight"
After recalling the funeral ora
ton delivered by the French gen.
eral commanding the sector, NJ.
Bordeaux says: THE road To this
new cemetery is known. Officers
and soldiers passing to their posts
in the sector leave their route TO
seek out those three graves, but,
why should I not say it? They are
visited more by the French than by
the Americans. 1t would seem that
the latter have not for the dead the
attention and care. the significance
of which has been transmitted TO us
/ by an older past; their gaze seems
/ 10 be more riveted upon the living.
When the first American battery
I was one day in October brought to
( our front and put into action, il
was a real ceremony. A general.
! himself, priced the honor of firing
/ the first projectile and the shell of
; that projectile was carefully pack
/ ed up and sent 10 the white house.
/ Was it not the first attestation of
| the force Of the United States?
In another village, quite as near
/ the front where some 20 inhabit-
ants still remained a girl was born