The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1919-10-02


Laid out on stretch of beautiful rolling
country In the valley of the Mouse River along
the Romagne-Cuno road, an impressive monu-
ment TO the part played by America in the fight
for world democracy. the graves of 10000
American soldiers who made the supreme sacrl-
flee In the last great drive that brought the
Hun 10 his knees have been concentrated into
the largest military cemetery in France. Should
Congress so decide, the 800 acres of grassy
slopes in the heart of one of the most fiercely
fought over backgrounds of the ages hiding
the remains of the heroes of the American FIX
peditionary Forces will remain for all time TO be
reverenced by the French and a subject Of awe
and devotion for tourists.
Romagne, as the cemetery has been called
from the name of the nearest French village is
known in American army annals as the Argonne
American Cemetery and contains or VIII con-
tain the graves of nearly all the American sol
diers who gave their lives in the Meuse-Argonne
drive that began on the 26th of September and
continued and expanded until Sedan had been
reached by the Allies on November IL. The
construction of the cemetery is the result OF
q policy of concentration of the graves oil
American soldiers in the battle areas that Is pc
ing pursued by the Graves Registration Service
of the A. f. F., under Colonel Charles c. Pierce
designated by the War Department as general
superintendent of American cemeteries IN
France. Fifteen such concentration cemeteries
have been completed or are in the process OF
completion and will contain the graves OF all
soldiers who died in battle.
During the fighting men were often buried
where they fell or cemeteries hastily LAID out IN
undesirable spots for permanent burylng
ground The Graves Registration Service, with
a force of $4,000 engineer and construction
troops under its supervision, IS busily engaged
in locating isolated graves and reinterrng the
bodies in what it is hoped viii be permanent
national cemeteries for American soldiers who
died in France. This policy Of concentration
of the dead of the A. f. +. is compelled by the
French laws, which prohibit isolated graves TO
remain within the borders of the Republic.
A prettier spot could not have been selected
for cemetery to commemorate the sacrifices
of the young men who crossed 5000 miles OF
water to aid a sister Republic in distress and
sound the death kne of autocracy. The ground
upon which the cemetery has been LAID out is
the highest in the section between the Argonne
Forest and the River Mouse. Within view to
the south of the burial ground lies the hill on
which stood the village of Montfaucon, now a
deserted heap of ruins, and to the west the
heights of Grand Pre-
Ramogne. which backs on the old Hindenburg
line, is laid out along general plan that was
drawn up by the c. r. S. for battle-area ceme-
teries These plans were furnished TO divisions
for properly taking care of their dead but
owing to the difficulties under which this work
had to be performed during the fighting were
not always adhered to. Errors of this kind in
the LAYING out of graves and selection of spots
for cemeteries are being taken care of by G.R.S.
units in the concentration work The plans
included the arrangement Of the cemeteries in
sections or units of squares. cemetery can
consist of any number of these sections as may
be required. Four plots of two rows each con-
stitute a section Each section or block con-
tans approximately 200 graves. A plot is the
smallest unit, each row containing 26 graves,
the graves arranged head to head with the
headstones or grave markers-temporary white
crosses constitute these markers at present
being placed down the middle of the plot with
the name and organization of the soldier en-
graved on the side facing the grave. Until
definite policy is laid out by Congress, all graves
will remain marked by white crosses.
Extensive plans for Identification OF the
graves and cemeteries are being carried out by