It memorializes the first American victory of World War I. Previously, American soldiers had fought engagements planned and supervised by British or French officers. The Battle of Cantigny was the first occasion on which an attack against the German army was planned by American commanders, lead by American officers, and fought by American soldiers. Cantigny was a small French village on high ground held by the German 18th Army. On May 28, 1918, soldiers of the 28th Infantry Regiment attacked, captured, and held Cantigny, giving the United States its first all-American victory of the Great War. For their bravery and steadfastness, the soldiers of the 28th Regiment were thereafter called the Black Lions of Cantigny, the proud symbol of which the Regiment has retained to this day.

The tableau depicts the hand-to-hand combat between the soldiers of the two armies, while bi-planes circle above the burning ruins of Cantigny.

The mural is signed by H H. Crawford. The artist, an African American artist graduate of the Albright Art School of Buffalo, New York, was born in 1910 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Those who knew and worked with him recall that he was very talented and achieved local prominence in Buffalo. In 1940, when the artist was at the height of his career, he was in a tragic accident. It left him impaired for the rest of his life. Crawford died near Utica, NY on January 11, 1985.

Bayonet charge (detail)