Cher Ami: The Pigeon Who Flew Through a Battlefield to Save 194 Soldiers

On October 3, 1918, 554 American soldiers were trapped in the Argonne Forest in France. They were surrounded by German forces, cut off from their own lines, and running out of food and ammunition. Their position was being shelled by mistake by their own artillery. The only way to stop the friendly fire was to get a message through. Every carrier pigeon they sent was shot down before it could reach the command post.

The Last Bird

Major Charles Whittlesey had one pigeon left. Her name was Cher Ami, French for dear friend. He wrote a message, attached it to her leg capsule, and released her.

German soldiers opened fire immediately. She was hit in the breast. She was shot through the leg. The leg bearing the message capsule was nearly severed, hanging by a tendon. She fell.

Then she flew again.

She flew 25 miles in 25 minutes. She arrived at the command loft at Rampont with a bullet in her chest, one eye destroyed, one leg dangling. The message was still attached.

What the Message Said

The message read: We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it.

The artillery barrage stopped. Of the 554 men trapped, 194 survived. Military historians attribute those survivors directly to Cher Ami's flight.

What Came After

Army veterinarians worked to save her life. They carved a small wooden leg to replace the one that had been destroyed. She recovered enough to be transported back to the United States by ship.

She died on June 13, 1919. She had been alive for eight months after the Argonne. She received the French Croix de Guerre with palm leaf, one of France's highest military honors. Her preserved body is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., where she has been since 1921.

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Sources

• Wikipedia — Cher Ami — Sourced account of the Argonne Forest mission, the injuries sustained, and her preserved body at the Smithsonian
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Cher Ami — The Washington, D.C. museum where Cher Ami's preserved body has been on display since 1921, alongside her wooden prosthetic leg and the original message capsule she carried through the Argonne
• Smithsonian Magazine — The Story of Cher Ami — Full account of the October 3, 1918 mission and her documented flight despite fatal wounds
• History.com — Cher Ami: The Heroic Carrier Pigeon of WWI — Historical account of the Lost Battalion rescue and the 194 survivors attributed to Cher Ami's flight
• U.S. Army — Cher Ami — Official Army documentation of Cher Ami's service with the 77th Infantry Division and her Croix de Guerre

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