Monument du haut des ruelles

The First American Division landed in France in June 1917. After several months of training, it arrived in the Lunéville sector at the end of October 1917.

The first American cannon shot was fired east of Bathelémont on the morning of October 23. On the night of November 2-3, the Germans launched an offensive on the Haut des Ruelles hill, home to the 2nd Battalion of the 16th US Infantry Regiment. The attack resulted in the deaths of the first three American soldiers: James B. Gresham, Merle D. Hay and Thomas F. Enright. They were buried in Bathelémont on November 4.

A few days before the armistice, Lorraine marks its gratitude by erecting a monument in Bathelémont, designed by Louis Majorelle and inaugurated on November 3, 1918. In October 1940, the Germans dynamited the monument. It was replaced by a granite stele in 1955.

To mark and preserve the memory of the place where these three soldiers died, the commune of Réchicourt, with the support of the "1917 les trois premiers américains" association, wishes to erect a Vosges sandstone stele on the hill. This project is supported by the Souvenir Français and has been awarded the "Centenary" label as well as the American label (World War One Centennial Commission).

The site can be reached from the parking lot via a 1.1 km farm track, which is not suitable for light vehicles.

DATAtourisme France