Photo Caption: The Rock of the Marne monument, Billings Park, Syracuse, as designed by famed sculptor Roland Hinton Perry.
On July 15th 1920, the “Rock of the Marne” monument was dedicated by men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Billings Park at South Salina, South Warren and East Adams Streets. The sculptor was Roland Hilton Perry. The unit earned the nickname “Rock of the Marne” because of their resolve to hold their ground at the Marne River near Paris, France while units around them retreated in the face of the last massive German offensive of World War I on July 15th 1918. The 38th Infantry Regiment chose to donate the monument to the city because men of that unit were trained at the state fairgrounds, near Syracuse, during the time that it was temporarily turned into an army camp.
Learn more about this statue courtesy of Syracuse University and Sean Kirst.