The Town Council decided to build it on 26 August 1918. The work of sculptor Constant Roux (1865-1929), it was built to "consecrate the Franco-American friendship that was so closely cemented in Chaumont". The department and all the communes of Haute-Marne contributed to the subscription to finance it. It depicts a woman (the Holy Father) holding a French soldier by the shoulder, shaking hands with an American soldier (recognisable by his hat) to thank him. The rifles are a lighter colour. They were rebuilt in 1973 after being broken during the Occupation by young Nazi supporters. The plaque bearing a dedication is not original and replaces the inscription that was once carved into the stone of the monument. The monument was inaugurated on 3 June 1923 in the presence of the President of the Republic, Mr Millerand, the President of the Council, Mr Poincaré, the Keeper of the Seals, the Ambassadors of the Allied Nations, representatives of the foreign press and numerous civilian and military figures from the town and the département. Chaumont is still one of the last towns in France to celebrate Memorial Day (last Sunday in May).
Monument Franco-Américain
