The Smithsonian Inventory (
visit link) describes this work thusly:
"Seven soldiers charging the front lines in World War I. The wounded soldiers slump on the periphery as the three central figures, with grimacing mouths and clenched fists, attack with bayonets. The figures are placed in a sort of pyramid form on a stepped base."
with the following inscription:
"(On sculpture, lower left:) Karl morningstar Illav, Sculptor/William Jordan Rogers, John Theodore Haneman, Architects/Richard Davis, Geo Gallanger, Construction (On sculpture, lower right:) FOND. G. Vignali Firenza (On front of base:) SEVENTH REGIMENT NEW YORK/ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH UNITED STATES INFANTRY/1917 IN MEMORIAM 1918 (Base, top left:) KARL ILLAVA, SCULPTOR signed"
An internet search doesn't reveal a biography of the artist, Karl Illava (1896–1954) ...but, apparently, he too, served with the 107th...as a sergeant.
This unsourced website (
visit link) tells us a little about the 107th:
"The regiment was, as its name implies, stationed in New York, and consisted of males mainly from this region. In 1917, the National Guard's 7th New York Infantry Regiment reformed into 107th New York Infantry Regiment by merging the 7th, with parts of 1st and 12th IR, and smaller detachments from the 10th IR. The regiment was stationed at Camp Wadsworth until May 1918, when they were ordered to deploy to France, as part of the 27th (New York) Infantry Division. While in France, they saw heavy action, and at the end of the war in November 1918, of the 3700 men that originally was a part of the regiment, 580 men were killed and 1487 wounded, with four of the regiment's soldiers being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The memorial depicts seven men; the one to the far right carrying two Mill bombs, while supporting the wounded soldier next to him. To his right another infantryman rushes towards the enemy positions, while the helmetless squad leader and another soldier are approaching the enemy with bayonets fixed. To the far left, one soldier is holding a mortally wounded soldier, keeping him on his feet. The bronze memorial was donated by 7th-107th Memorial Committee, and was designed by Karl Illava, who served in the 107th IR as a sergeant in WWI. The monument was first conceived about 1920, was made in 1926-1927 and was placed in the park and unveiled in 1927. This Memorial is located by the Central Park perimeter wall, at Fifth Avenue and 67th Street."