The Transport
France
The body lay in State for several hours watched over by a guard of honor
composed of French and American Soldiers while the people of Chalons
reverently paid their respects and left offerings of flowers and other
tributes.
After brief
official ceremonies by the city of Chalons, the casket was placed on a
flag-draped gun carriage and escorted by American and French troops to
the railroad station where it was placed aboard the funeral car in a
special train for the journey to Le Harve. Upon arrival at Le Havre the
train was met by French officials, troops and citizens of Le Havre who
had gathered that they too might pay homage to America's Unknown
Soldier. Accompanied by many floral tributes and escorted by French and
American troops, the solemn procession moved through the city of Le
Havre to the pier where the American Cruiser USS OLYMPIA,
Admiral Dewey's flagship at the battle of Manila Bay, awaited with her
flags at half mast to receive the precious cargo which she was to bring
to home.
Here, with
ceremonies befitting the solemn occasion, the casket was turned over to
the United States Navy and placed on the flower decked stern of the
cruiser for the long journey to America. Slowly and silently the USS
OLYMPIA moved from the pier and with a salute of seventeen guns from
the French destroyer, to which she promptly responded, the journey of
the Unknown Soldier to his homeland began.
United States
On November 9, 1921, at 4 :00 P.M., the USS OLYMPIA reached the
Navy Yard at Washington, D. C., where the flag-draped casket was
solemnly delivered by the Navy to the Army, represented by the
Commanding General of the District of Washington, and escorted to the
Rotunda of the Capitol. Here upon the same catafalque that had similarly
held the remains of three slain Presidents, the body lay in State under
a Joint Guard of Honor.
All during the next
day thousands of patriotic individuals, including highest officials of
the Government, members of the Diplomatic Corps and private citizens,
passed before the casket to pay homage to the Unknown Soldier who
symbolized all our Unknown and the purpose for which they died.
