Forest of Argonne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Location of Forest of Argonne in northeastern France
Forest of Argonne in 1915
Forest of Argonne in a valley near Chatel-Chéhéry, France, where Sgt. Henry Johnson, known after his heroic battle as the Black Death, and Sgt. Alvin C. York fought in World War I

The Forest of Argonne (French pronunciation: ​[aʁɡɔn]) is a long strip of mountainous and wild woodland in northeastern France, approximately 200 km (120 mi) east of Paris. In 1792, Charles François Dumouriez outmaneuvered the invading forces of the Duke of Brunswick in the forest before the Battle of Valmy.

During World War I, the forest again became the site of intense military action. Bitter fighting between German and Allied units took place here in fall and winter 1914, summer 1915, and fall 1918. During the Meuse–Argonne offensive (1918), several United States Army soldiers earned the Medal of Honor there, including Colonel Nelson Miles Holderman, Major Charles White Whittlesey, Sergeant Alvin C. York, Corporal Harold W. Roberts and William Henry Johnson (a.k.a. "Black Death"), most of them part of the "Lost Battalion". The World War I Montfaucon American Monument consists of a large granite Doric column surmounted by a statue symbolic of Liberty. The monument is located 32 kilometres (20 mi) northwest of Verdun, not far from the Meuse–Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial.[1]

Points of interest[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ American Battle Monuments Commission: Montfaucon monument Archived 2008-09-16 at the Wayback Machine.

External links[]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainWood, James, ed. (1907). "Argonne`, Forest of". The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne.

Coordinates: 49°09′N 4°58′E / 49.150°N 4.967°E / 49.150; 4.967


Retrieved from ""