Second Gettysburg

Belleau Wood near Chateau Thierry, called by General Pershing "the Gettysburg of the World War," was dedicated, through the Belleau Wood Memorial Association, by the French to Americans who had died there.

The ceremony was simple and impressive. The French Tricolor, at Marshal Foch's command, was hauled down to the call of the Marseillaise, played by French bugles and a Marine Band from the U. S. S. Pittsburgh. After this the Stars and Stripes were run up to the tune of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Marshal Foch, in tears, was the chief spokesman. He called Belleau Wood "the cradle of victory" and said: " The men who died here are safe; they will be guarded by us religiously." He described the Wood as the scene of the turning point of the War and paid eloquent tribute to the U. S. Army.

Belleau Wood was bought by the Belleau Wood Memorial Association under the Presidency of Mrs. James Carroll Frazier, who directed the plan to buy the land, preserve the battlefield with trenches and machine gun nests, erect a permanent monument, place descriptive tablets.