ARCHIE'S FERN

Hotel St. Paul

Verdun, France
August 20, 2015

The weather was warmer today as we headed by bus nearby to explore the beginning of the Meuse-Argonne Sector, a 25 mile front. It is the largest battle in American history, over difficult terrain—with ridges, the Meuse River, the Argonne Forest, the Aire River, and the Moselle River. Fought between September 26 to November 11, 1918, this battle involved 1.2 million soldiers. Six hundred thousand American soldiers were involved in the opening attack.

While driving, we reviewed maps of the first assaults. We are only about 40 miles from Germany and the area was especially important to the Germans. First we stopped at a well known monument near Chattancourt, Le Mort Homme area dedicated to the 69^th French Division—the monument depicts an enrobed skeleton holding a flag staff. The inscription, “Ils n'ont pas passe,” meaning they did not pass. The French were determined to take this hill. It is said that this is a woods where birds never sing. Losses were heavy but Verdun was saved. The area was reforested because nothing else would grow there. [Note: We try mostly to stay in the same time period as we examine battle areas, but Le Mort Homme was 1916]

Back to the 1918 period, we stopped at a large American monument near Malancourt, where 600,000 soldiers were involved in the opening attack of the Meuse Argonne offensive. There were two hundred steps to the top, but I was more interested in the German observation post and trenches. An Abbe in ruins from the shelling was behind the monument, left as is.

Other areas we visited:

• The site of the Lost Battalion incident (77th Liberty Division from New York)
• A monument to Cher Ami, a carrier pigeon that was wounded but still carried a message out about where the lost battalion was

• Pennsylvania monuments---the state of Pennsylvania had more burials in France from the war than any other state. Three monuments, one especially large (2 acres, both sides of the street in Varenne), were erected by Pennsylvania. (3 PA divisions: 28th, 78th, 79th)

• Exermont near where Larry's father's 1^st Division, 18^th Regiment was.
• Sergeant York Memorial and the path where he encountered Germans who surrendered to him (he was a Corporal at the time) (Chatel-Chehery (CMOH)

• Flaysville/Clierges (check) where our Uncle Earl's 37^th Engineers Division specialized in electrical work.
• Sam Woodfill (CMOH)

As we traveled I noted the hills, the valleys, the ridges, the seemingly very old churches, newer homes that contrast with older stone abodes, the tile roofs, two and one lane roads, tight squeezes on narrow streets that weren't made for 45 passenger buses, about 30 goats crossing the road herded by a sheepdog, the neat gardens, the huge farm equipment, flower boxes, lace window curtains.

I noted the ferns growing along side the road in the forest areas—they made me think again of the dried fern that Archie either carried home or sent home. The fern. Did it distract him from the horrors all around him?  Was it a connection to home? A distraction? Why? A fern, the feathery leaves, the bright green, long since faded. Was it the rare vegetation you saw amongst the devastated ruined landscape? Why?