L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument
L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument is a statue and monument located at the United States Military Academy. It is a replica of a statue at École Polytechnique that commemorates the cadets of that French school who died in defense of France in 1814. In 1919, in the wake of Franco-American cooperation in the First World War, an association of alumni of the École Polytechnique presented a full-size casting of the statue to West Point as a symbol of brotherhood between the two nations and schools.[1]
| L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument | |
|---|---|
| United States Military Academy | |
 L'Ecole Polytechnique Monument, Central Area, West Point | |
| Used for those deceased | |
| Unveiled | 1919 |
| Location | 41°23′28.12″N 73°57′25.89″W near |
| Commemorated | French Cadets who died in defense of France and brotherhood in arms with the cadets of West Point |
| Burials by nation | |
First year cadets (plebes) are required to know the four "mistakes on the French Monument": the curved saber but straight scabbard; the flag blowing one direction, the coat tails the other; button unbuttoned, and the cannonballs too large for bore of the cannon.[2] The monument was once located on the edge of the Plain, but has now been moved inside the cadet Central Area and is off limits to non-academy personnel.
References
- "Tour of West Point (Slide 9 of 14)". USMA.edu. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- Hulse, Glenn (1994). Bugle Notes 1994. State College, PA: Jostens Publishing. pp. 171, 254–255.
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