HARRY TRUMAN

THE GREAT WAR and the Château de Montigny-sur-Aube

In 1918, the whole of Châtillon and more particularly the castle of Montigny-sur-Aube welcomed, in the same spirit, all these future battalions of young Americans, who often came without hesitation, but also without knowledge of how to handle weapons, to train among other things on the heights of the village of Montigny-sur-Aube in firing the 75mm cannon, a stone's throw from the headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force located in Chaumont (Haute-Marne) under the command of General John PERSHING.

Harry S. Truman, then 34, was one of them. He arrived as an officer and left with the rank of captain after successfully completing intense high-level military training.

This period of his life forever marked his perception of the world and of Europe, as evidenced by all his correspondence with his family and his biographer David Mc Cullough, allowing him to detect in him an undisputed soul of a leader who would lead him to the supreme step of power as President of the United States from 1945 to 1953.

Inauguration and commemoration of the centenary of Harry Truman's presence at the castle

As part of the celebration of the centenary of the end of the Great War in the presence of Clifton Truman Daniel (grandson of Harry Truman) and American and French authorities, both civil and military, the Espace Harry Truman at the Château de Montigny-sur-Aube was inaugurated on October 11, 2018.

Harry Truman Space

Created in the castle park to immortalize his presence in 1918, the stele is made of Semond stone. The sculpted façade features the thirteen stripes of the American flag (Stripes) representing the 13 founding states that united to form the United States of America. It is topped with a commemorative plaque in enameled metal, made by the Harry Truman Presidential Library and Museum (Independence MO United States) and covered with an American flag from 1914 with its 48 stars. It was unveiled by his grandson Clifton Truman Daniel in the presence of representatives of the United States Embassy and the French State, Mr. and Mrs. Len Robert SMALL and in the presence of the descendants of André MARTIN, then owner of the castle, who came specially from America to express their gratitude to the American people forever. On the back of the stele are engraved the names of all those (institutions and private individuals) who made the organization of this commemoration possible.

Harry Truman's Letters

During his stay at the Château de Montigny, Harry Truman wrote 9 letters to his fiancée Bess, which you can find in the book "Harry Truman The Great War" on sale at the Château de Montigny-sur-Aube. If you want to read the content of these letters in detail, the book is available at the reception of the château for €15. You can also find a book on the Battle of Châtillon, written by an American officer in 1920, back in the United States and translated into French.

In these letters we can find descriptions of the castle, its parks and interiors. We also find Harry Truman's opinion on France and the French people and the description of some of his activities during his training as an artilleryman.

video of the inauguration ceremony taken by the 61st artillery regiment of Chaumont "Black Devils "