1. La Croix du Bayle
This metal-framed cross stands atop a 231-meter hill at Cornay located at the north end of the Argonne Forest and overlooks the Aire River valley. The kiosk shown describes the several battles fought by the AEF in the area in the fall of 1918.
2. French 173RI Monument
Located about .5km west of Esnes. It's a good reminder that in the early war, long before the Yanks arrived—even before Verdun flared up—there was serious fighting in the Argonne.
3. La Tuilerie Farm
Site of heavy fighting for 42nd Division in mid-Oct. 1918. It's kind of amazing that it's still standing.
4. Cross at the Noyers-Pont-Maugis German Cemetery
Located 2.8 Miles south of Sedan. (More on German cemeteries below.)
5. Memorial to Captain Charles Dashiell Harris
6th Engineers, 3rd Division
Capt. Harris led a successful local attack against a nearby wood and was shot in the lung. He and his stretcher bearers were subsequently captured, and Harris died at a German aid station. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the action. His body was eventually repatriated to the U.S. for burial in Princeton, NJ. The family negotiated with the mayor of nearby Clery-le-Grand for the purchase of a small site for this memorial. In 1988, it was moved to the current location about 1.2 miles NE of Cunel.
6. 5th Division Before and After Markers
In early November 1918, the 5th Division made a successful crossing of the Meuse River and pursued an attack on the Meuse Heights. These markers commemorating the crossing roughly face each other on both sides of the river. The before marker on the left is located .2 miles South of Clery-le-Petit on D164 on the west side of the Meuse; the after marker is .6 miles North of Liny-devant-Dun on D964 on the east side of the Meuse.
7. A Multiplicity of German Cemeteries
I was shocked to discover with a systematic search that there are well over a dozen German cemeteries in the Meuse-Argonne and the periphery of the sector. (I've tried to avoid counting the cemeteries that might be associated with the pre-US Verdun fighting.) Shown above is a good example of the uniform elegance and dignity of the cemeteries. The example shown is located near the town of Buzancy.
8. 2nd Division Marker for 1 November 1918 Advance
Located 2.7 miles east of Buzancy on D947. Marked the 5-mile advance of the 2nd Division on 1 Nov 1918, first day of the final phase of the Meuse-Argonne.
9. Memorial to Lts. Willoughby Marks and George Hollister,
61st Inf., 5th Division
In fighting by the 5th Division after its capture of Cunel, Lieutenant Marks of the 61st Infantry was severely wounded but refused to leave his company before achieving its objective. He then heard that his best friend, Second Lieutenant George Hollister, was lying wounded outside the trench. Under intense enemy fire, Marks rushed to save his friend when high-explosive shellfire struck and killed both of them. Both men are buried at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery.The stele is located just outside the woods where the two men perished. I have not been able to determine who was responsible for installing the monument.
10. German St. Charles Cemetery Memorial
German St. Charles Cemetery Memorial was erected at Sedan by the the occupying German army in 1915. Beginning in 1914, the German Army started burying their soldiers who fell in early actions next to a French cemetery. As the war dragged on, Sedan became a hospital center. With the complex growing, the decision was made to build this memorial to Germany's fallen.
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