Army Cemetery 717

Russell Thomas Stewart [I00240] died during a battle just northwest of Imécourt, France on November 2, 1918. His body was returned to the town of Imécourt and buried by a regimental burial detail on the grounds of the Chateau d'Imécourt. There were eighteen altogether. In fact he was buried next to Grover D. Selvey and Aaron Carter, and all three were in Company M, 319th Infantry, 80th Division.

The Chateau was a large, palatial country estate built about 1699. It was used by the Germans as a hospital. It sustained heavy damage from artillery shells by November 1918 and parts of the structure were obliterated.

A makeshift cemetery, Army Cemetery 717, was set near the garden of this once grand estate. After the war, these graves were meticulously surveyed as to their exact location and the identities of those buried there. In this survey, the ruins of the Chateau are shown with the western side of the structure demolished. On the east side was a garden and orchard. The cemetery was a small rectangular area near a hedge with the words "see sketch." The graves in that area are shown as a large inset sketch. Russell Stewart was buried here in grave number 10.

Imécourt, France

Source: War Department. Office of the Quartermaster General. Cemeterial Division. "Initial Burial Plats for World War I American Soldiers, 1920 – 1920." Record Group 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774 – 1985. National Archives Catalog (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12007376 : downloaded 27 May 2019), 1919-3/15/1922.