The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-02-06
BATTLE SHAFT TO
AMERICAN men
Monument Erected to First TO
Fall Fighting on the Soil
of France.
FRENCH SHOW APPRECIATION
Replica of Monument Erected in Mem
DRY Of Three Americans Who ZEN
At BetheImont Is Sent to
Washington.

Washington.-The first three Amer
lean soldiers to die in battle on french
soil fell in the village of Betheimont,
about twelve miles east of Nancy. Inc
population of this region decided 10
erect monument commemorative
their sacrifice, and a replica OF TINS
pruposed monument was sent to Pres
iuent Wilson by Ambassador Sharp
at Paris a few months ago at the re-
quest of those in charge OF the prof.
ect. Originally it was the Intention
To hold the ceremony of dedication ih
the very village of Bethelmont, where
the three young heroes had given their
lives for freedom, but the community
was situated so near the firing line
that the ceremony had to be held at
| Nancy. Ambassador Sharp has sent
to the state department graphic re-
port on the subject. A large crowd
of distinguished people were present
at the dedication exercises.
M. Mirman, in his address before a
huge assembly at Nancy, emphasized
the fact that the three young heroes
i'm whose honor the monument had
been erected were not, indeed, the
first Americans whose blood had
tinged the battlefields of France
Young men from the United States
impatient to fight, had enrolled volun-
tarily in the French and English ar.
mics and already in 1916 their mum
Der exceeded 10000.
Carried American Flag.
/ A very touching incident illustrates
the patriotism of those Americans who
had Joined the French Foreign Legion
1 before the United States entered the
war. Not being able to fight openly
under the Star-Spangled Banner they
procured an American flag and decided
that each of them, i'm turn, should car
nv it wrapped around his breast. IL
this way our flag was present in al
those numerous combats in which thu
colors of the Foreign Legion partici
Ipated. Twice it was pierced by bull
let's and stained with the blood O
wounds. Once he who carried it fell
the American volunteers searched tn
field and found their dead comrade
took from his body the well-belove'
colors, and, armed with this emblem
they went forward to new exploits
When the United States took up the in
sulting defiance of Germany thes
American volunteers, already vetel
ans, took their places in their Nation
al army and presented to France thi
flag which so proudly they had born
through numerous battles, and tn
French reverently deposited it at th
Invalides.
. A few days after the first Amer
cans entered the trenches the German
desired to test the worth Of their me-
enemy. They directed an attac
against the sector. valiantly did til
American soldiers support their bal
tismal fire.
Did Not Yield an Inch.
They did not yield one inch of the
: positions. The enemy who had pen
!, trated for moment into their trenc
! es withdrew, leaving numerous dea
Three Americans were killed in I'll
French lines. one pierced by reyolv'
shot, the other two stabbed with pol
lizards. They were inferred in fiel
below the hill on which are clustert
the houses of the village of Betht
], mont. 1t was decided that the nam
of these three first victims should
:, inscribed on stone, and although Il
Il project could not be given dimension
4 in keeping with the Importance of t
historic fact to be commemorated, t
4 design is artistic and was drawn
= Louis Majorelle. The cross and t
q thistle of Lorraine are entwined wi
Al the stars of America. The inscripti
3 on one side reads:
LORRAINE TO THE UNITED
STATES"
Y That on the other side:
Here