14,246 americans are buried outside a quiet village in northeastern france at the meuseargonne American Cemetery. I American History tv visited there with french battlefield guide Guillaume Moizan and historian mitchell a. Yockelson to learn about the 47 they world war one battle that ended with the armistice november 11 1918 and resulted in over 26,000 american deaths. There are more than 14,200 graves here. Many of them who died in meuseargonne American Cemetery area. But there are also some civilians another soldiers that were brought from other areas . Yes. Most of the soldiers here died at the meuseargonne. 96,000 wounded more or less. Almost half percent of the soldiers are buried here in front of that cemetery. We have few civilians. Maybe we will see some of the graves later on. Especially nurses, people from the american red cross, from the ymca also. Special graves that we will see walking in the graveyard. The cemetery itself were graves that were consolidated from smaller cemeteries. When soldiers died and battle, they were burying and small cemeteries around the region near the nerve ill and other areas. The American Government had made a decision that they would allow families to repatriate their loved ones after the war. So about 60 to 70 of the family and their bodies were brought back to the u. S. Roughly another 30 remained behind and were brought to the cemeteries that are now maintained by the American Battle monuments commission. The french government has a major say in the land and allowing the americans. Can you talk a little bit about that. Many times we say we are in american soil which is not exactly true. The land was given by the french government for free and forever. We buy a concession when we die, it is the same idea. The land now is managed by an American Commission but it is still french soil. It is a french law that applies on the soil. Why dont we take a look at the chapel and talk about the significance. The chapel here was established before the cemetery was actually dedicated . Yes, because we have the marker on it. It was built in 1930. Then the cemetery, as we see it, was it dedicated later on in 1937. Architects sought to american architects called york and sawyer. They designed the chapel and on the entrance we have to be monuments. An American Eagle on top because they were designed by this architect. The idea is to have a roman asked style chapel. We have a lot on american secretaries. The double colonnades are on both sides pm. John them actually we have two panels of stained glass that list by their insignia, all of the american units. Not just at the meuseargonne American Cemetery but the entire expedition force. Most part of the American Expeditionary force, it is true that we have from each Division Army corps and armies. We have the batches for each of them. Some are very famous, such as the Rainbow Division we can see at the left at the bottom we will speak about the lost. Battalion as well. 77, the new yorkers, left side of the stained glass. 31 from the top. Several others. We will see american 93rd African American division. Even if it is not a complete division. They are on the bottom to the right with the french on it. Because if we go up to badges, we have the symbol of the 92nd Buffalo Soldiers along them. I notice over here, there is at the very bottom, the 27th division in the middle. They have the star of a ryan. They were engaged in another direction. They were part of an offensive that was going on at the same time at the meuseargonne attacking the canal. In fact the meuseargonne is what we know of the american part of the big offensive, but it is a an offensive of all the allied troops. For the first time in the war, we have a combined attack from the british, french and americans altogether. Meuseargonne for most of the americans but some American Divisions were fighting under french core, british common, and that is the case for the 27th, for example. The battle started on the same day almost for everybody. 26, september 26 for the americans. September 26 for the french force army. September 27th for the british around santa. When we look at the wall of the missing. There is a really movement of the battle and perhaps we can explain yes we can understand it a bit more. As for every American Cemetery we have one wall of the missing. You have a list of soldiers over 950 of them missing an action. Somewhere, if you look for example, private robert lee. He was part of the three 71st infantry regiment. Several were labeled king of the war. Over 950 of them. We do not know what happened. Most likely they were buried an isolated graves. It was lost or perhaps they were buried by artillery shelves. Some of them are still buried in the meuseargonne forest but some are buried in the cemetery but they have an unknown grave because we found their body that we were not able to identify. Around 500 of them are buried here, in fact but with an and known grave. Lets take a look here. This is a map that shows the progression of the battle. It starts in the Early Morning of september 26. One of the first objectives is now the meuseargonne memorial, the high ground8 general pursuing was very adamant, but that did not happen. Why was that such a difficult area . Mount falcon is the highest ground of the entire meuseargonne. The germans occupied the hill from september 1914. As soon as they were on top they fortified it. There are still german concrete shelters that was an observation position. Keeping the highest ground is an objective for the germans. So that wont make things easy for the americans to get on top. So instead of reaching it within one day they will need to days. The hill was finally taken by the americans. As the battle progressed, one of the main defensive lines, the german defensive line here along the st. George, was not achieved until the battle. The americans started breaking down surprising routes because of the poor roads and whether. A lot of it was the german defenses that were keeping americans from receiving. Isnt it true that germans were bringing up reserves from elsewhere on the front to help block the american advance . Yes. If we look at the map, we have three front lines. When is the starting front line. The american offensive in the beginning is quite effective. In a few days most of the american troops are having quite a huge progression, but as you mentioned, the germans retreat to fortified positions, such as this line for example. Then american troops will start to struggle quite much. If you look at the ground covered by some divisions, they are for over one week, ten days for some of them, they have to face heavy resistance by the germans along this line. Finally, most of the american troops make their way through. Pushing will have his troops before launching a big offensive. We have the frontline that says october the 31st, and on the next day november 1st, american troops put more pressure on the germans and the result is the germans have no other line to retreat, so it is a big defeat. In the last ten days, american troops will get to the lever on top and over there that we see at the foremost and. That front line as we see along the river, it is the front line of the armistice of the meuseargonne at 11 00 in the morning. What we do not see on this map to the left or the west of the meuseargonne forest is the fighting of the french force army along with leader to American Divisions attached. That was a significant part of this campaign as well, right . Yes, exactly. Sometimes we say american, french offensive because this part was owned by Many American troops. But some french troops under perchings command was on the western side of the meuseargonne we have the line of offensive with the french force army led by the general. We have American Division for its there including the Second Division and the marine brigade and capturing which was an important point on the other side of the argonne forest. They fought under french common closed by the american main offensive. You can see bordering that forced is the 92nd division which was an African American division attached first to the first army, led all by white officers. Later on it would become part of the second army, when purging split up and reorganized. But one of the more famous soldiers was killed during the news argonne battle. Why dont we take a look at his grave. I he was an African American soldier from South Carolina who served in the 93rd division which was a unique division. We talked about the American Division having 27, 000, a little more than that, officers and men. It had interest tree infantry regiments, artillery regiments, but the 93rd was a composite division. They served strictly under the french during the war. There were 200,000 African Americans who served here on the western front. Most of them were in labor italians, not many of them were in combat. The army at the time was segregated. And general pershing had a difficult time deciding whether or not he wanted to use them for combat. But the french were very eager for americans, so essentially, pond of the African American troops to the french. Stay hours was not actually in the battle of the meuseargonne but he was close by. Can you tell us about the action that crossed corporal loyola eye stowers . Across the oregon forest. There was a big plane that is known as the plaintiff champagne. He was fighting under general on google. He fought close by a village that is called ville silk tube. His regiment captured several lands. On september the 28th 1918 their target is to cut through a hill that is called the hill 188. When you get to that hill, they get closed by the german lines. The germans put their hands up in the air and said they were to surrender. Soldiers from this three 71, they get closer to the german trench and the german finally jump back into their trench, back to their rifles and machine gun and start to fire. Many officers and soldiers are killed and wounded in a few seconds and stowers wasnt in charge of his unit because as a corporal he decided to rush to the machine gun german position and was able with his men to kill the machine gunners. He did not only stop the german first line but he started to go straight to the second line and between the first and second line he was wounded. He bled and finally died. Right. But he did not initially receive wasnt posthumously many years later . 1992 . 1991. 1991 under president george w. Bush which. His family received the medal of honor. At the time he was the only African American soldier to have been awarded the medal of honor for world war one. Later on private Henry Johnston who is also the 93rd division would be awarded the medal of honor by president obama but on another engagement earlier in the american attacks. Cohen we are standing in front of the grave of frank luke junior. He played a significant role in the meuseargonne area. He had a unique job, so to speak. He was a balloon buster. Can you tell us about the balloons in the war and why the americans and the french wanted to shoot them down . Blooms were used for observation. As you can imagine. Hilltops were very important, but balloons were way better. Balloons were flying everywhere over the battlefields. Sometimes going close into the real lines, throwing bombs on the camps. Balloons were used as a weapon and observation. Shooting balloons were something very important. So luke took off on the morning of the 27th on a mission that was not approved. His Commanding Officer did not know where he was. By the end of the day, he did not come back. Later on, it was found that he had been shot down. Do you know where he was shot down . Big yes, a small village which is close by somewhere that direction. Around nine or ten miles away. Says as i understand it, the germans had buried him there in an isolated grave or private cemetery. It was not until after the war ended that the americans sent a search party to recover his remains. They were brought back and his family was, like all the other families, given the choice of whether or not to send the body back to the u. S. , and they chose to leave him here in perpetuity. Meanwhile, his exploits were well known in the army. Especially the fact that he was one of the top aces. He eventually was honored with the medal of honor. He also received the service cross. There is another metal that im not familiar with. He was awarded the italian even if you never fought under the italian comments, the detailing would give it to foreigners to many soldier troops allying troops. That was the case for frank luke junior. This sergeant also got the medal of honor, and douglas mcarthur, for example. Let us continue further in the cemetery and look at some of the other headstones. Yes. Besides the combatants who were killed at the meuseargonne or in the region, you also have civilians that are buried here and the case of elizabeth tyler. She died after the war in february 22nd 1919. She was with the american red cross, which was quite a significant role in providing help. Nurses and medical care. Most of the civilians had probably died of disease, like the influenza epidemic. This is a grave from harry gibson. He was part of the ymca. The ymca helped a lot during the war. They built barracks for the american soldiers. They also provide its food supplies, anything they could. Many civilian organizations such as the ymca, they are not the only one, they helped a lot in giving, trying to make life easier for the american soldiers who were fighting so far away from home. Here we have the grave of any readily. She was part of a hospital. They were important because that is where the troops were evacuated after they were wounded in battle. She died but it is likely wouldve been the result of a combat wound, but she wouldve died most likely from the influenza epidemic which was raging into the whole area on the western front. The second wave of the influenza epidemic had reached france. It wreaked havoc on the american troops. It would have spread all around the civilians and the combatants, including the french and the germans. Among the unknown soldiers buried in the meuseargonne, three are kind of special. The three from that row are the three american soldiers that were not elected to be the american soldiers to be buried in arlington. In 1921, it was decided to have one american nonsoldier to symbolize all the losses from the war. Four bodies work zoomed from four of the american cemeteries and france. Coffins were sent to the salon champagne, about 70 miles from here. For coffins from non american soldiers. One american soldier chose one coffin among the four to become the new a non American American non soldier. One was sent back to the usa buried in arlington. The three others that were there at that ceremony are these three soldiers buried now here at the meuseargonne. The closest cemetery was then the meuseargonne and it is the main American Cemetery for the First World War, now buried here. You can watch this and many other programs about world war one at cspan. Org. Type world war i and the search box and browse through hundreds of results. Tonight on American History tv, beginning at eight eastern, the cspan city store explores the american story with a look at the Great Depression era. Hear stories and visit places around the nation related to this historic economic downturn. That is followed by cities tore stops featuring the history of north carolina, amarillo texas, San Antonio Texas and Brian College station texas. Watch American History tv now and over the weekend on cspan 3. Up next a recent online conference for history education. The session features adam on domestic unrest in the u. S. During and after world war one including anti german sentiment, race riots and rafts of suspected communists. He is the author of to end all wars, a story of loyalty and rebellion, 1914 to 1918. This is about an hour. It is 11 00. I think we know you are excited to be here and hear adam tell us about the legacy of the First World War today. Thank you for being with us over these past three days. It has been very excited for us to see how excited and engaged history educators are even when they cannot be physically together. Thank you so much for that. I am grace and the director of for history education. We love