Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-06
Geographic News
Bulletins BY the
National Geographic Society

"A modern prototype of Americas
little red school house" will crown
the hill at Cantigny. France. where
American soldiers first entered the
Western front as a fighting unit.
The National Geographic Society
will erect at the tiny village of Can
tigny a school house as a memorial
to the American soldiers who fought
there and as a further emblem OF
Americas historic friendship for
France.
In announcing the action OF the
Society's board of trustees. Gilbert
G~rosvenor. president of the National
Geographic Society. stated that the
selection of the town was determin-
ed upon recommendation OF General
Pershing.
During the war members Of the
National Geographic Society contrib
uted $4,000 to be expended for the
establishment and equipment OF
wards at American Military Hospi-
tai No. /. at Neuilly. France. When
the armistice was signed only $10.-
900 of the fund had been expend-
ed. A committee of the Society
considered carefully the most fitting
and useful expenditure OF the re-
naming $4,000 of this fund, and.
after consultation with General Per-
shing, ii was determined that the
spot where Europe first say the
valor of Americas youth would be
an appropriate site for the build
ing of Americas characteristic in
stitution of peace.
At Cantigny the First American
Division first went over the top and
began to share in Foch's sturdy re-
sistance which held the Germans
back. then defeated them, and won
the war. 1t will be recalled that
the German General staff had or
dered that the heart be taken gu
of the Americans at any cost when
they first showed up as a unit along
the fighting front. Therefore, when
orders came for the Americans to
iron out the salient at Cantigny what
might have been a skirmish turned
inc a terrific struggle during which
the Germans rallied thousands OF
men and threw 10000 shells into the
town, Even after the Americans
took the town they had to hold 1t
against six counter attacks by the
exasperated Germans.
General Pershing. in his official
report of the engagement at Can
tigny, called it "a brilliant action
and said that at demonstrated our
fighting qualities under extreme bat
tie conditions" The French COM
munique gave high praise to Ameri-
can courage, valor, and soldierly
qualities. The German war office
merely referred to the Americans as
the enemy"
The London Times History of the
War has this to say of the Ameri-
cans at Cantigny:
The list Division. fresh from the
Toul training sector. had relieved
the 45th French African Division
from north of Mesnil st. Georges
TO lust north of Cantigny in that sec
tor, facing Montdidier and south
of Amiens, where the undulating
country broken here and there with
sparse woods afforded h oppor-
tunity for a fierce defense after n
open vastness of the Somme valley.
They had, after the Amiens drive
settled down into the game OF ex-
changing shells across the green,
stood up to a daily bombardment OF
everv kind of n At last the
chance welcome after much sitting
in trenches. Cantigny. small but
proud on it's green eminence, over
looking with a mouth OF fire the
whole countryside. was to be taken.
Never did men rise so eagerly out OF
trenches to go forward than those
Americans. Through gas. through a
cloud of machine gun bullets. fol-
lowing close behind their barrage
they steadily assembled the slopes OF
he village and sheltered themselves
in the cemetery when the village
was theirs. Cantigny was a small
Isolated action with little immediate
significance. But the village was
the first ever captured by American
troops in Europe. and the lesson
that the Germans learned was the
first they had received from the
youth of America"
Cantigny sets on a hill near Mont
didier. and is twenty miles SOUTH
east Of Amiens. Even before h
Americans took II the village had
been devastated during An heroic
French resistance.