Monument of the
top of the alleys
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. During the night of November 2-3, the Germans launched an offensive on Haut des Ruelles hill, where the 2nd Battalion of the 16th US Infantry Regiment was located. This attack resulted in the death of the first three American soldiers: James B. Gresham, Merle D. Hay, and Thomas F. Enright. They were buried in Bathelémont on November 4. Lorraine showed its gratitude by erecting a monument designed by Louis Majorelle in Bathelémont a few days before the armistice, which was 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 association "1917 the first three Americans", wishes to install a Vosges sandstone stele on this hill. This project is supported by the Souvenir Français and has received the "Centennial" label as well as the American label (World War One Centennial Commission). It can be reached from this parking lot by taking a 1,1 km farm track, not recommended for light vehicles.
