The Battle of Cantigny was the first American engagement in World War 1 in 19178. The First Division of the United States Army successfully captured the town of Cantigny, France from the German Army which marked the first time an American unit seized enemy territory during the war. The battle was fought May twenty-seventh through the thirty-first where the American Army suffered approximately 1,600 casualties’. Davenport discusses viewpoints from many of the soldiers throughout the war including Samuel Ervin and Samuel Parker. These soldiers were introduced to a new style of fighting, known as, trench warfare, and new technology such as artillery, machine guns, flamethrowers, grenades and poison gas. This battle provided an immense step toward an allied victory because it showed the American Expeditionary Force’s strength on the western front which ended the war a year after their arrival.
Davenport revisits America’s first fight of World War 1 in an effort to pull the battle away from the forgotten past. The doughboys that first landed on European soil during the war are largely forgotten but should be remembered for their sacrifice. The sole reason it is forgotten is because …show more content…
Davenport concludes that the Battle of Cantigny was the first American blow to the invincible armor of the western front that led to large-scale fighting at Soissons and the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Though several letters and diaries were presented throughout the book, Davenport also provides numerous maps of the western front. These maps display the front lines of the German and American armies in May of 1918 and gradually demonstrates the aggressive push made by the American Army that spring. Notable figures from the battle are also pictured in trenches and in their dress blues. Sam Parker, Sam Ervin, and General John J. Pershing are among the few