Alvin York was a peaceful, religious man who in World War I distinguished himself in battle. This article looks at his role in the war.
The United States entered the First World War in the spring of 1917 and despite joining the Allies at that late stage, the Americans did turn the tide of the conflict. U.S. doughboys provided much needed support and morale to the exhausted British and French armies. One soldier from rural Tennessee named Alvin Cullum York, who was a conscientious objector and refused to fight when he was first drafted, was made famous when he single handedly attacked and killed 25 German soldiers and helped capture 132 more in October, 1918.
York's Early Years
Born in Fentress County, Tennessee in 1887, York was a member of a family that relied on subsistence farming and hunting for a living. His father was also a part time blacksmith. The young York received almost no formal education and became skilled at using a rifle at an early age. This helped to put food on the table, and many years later during his military service it would play a large part in his receiving the Medal of Honor. Before shipping off to France he earned a reputation as a hard drinking hell raiser, but in 1914 something happened that profoundly changed his outlook on life. A close friend of York's named Everett Delk was killed in a bar fight. Shortly thereafter, York attended the Church of Christ in Christian Union and became very involved in the activities of the church. His religious conversion had a positive effect. His stopped his wayward lifestyle and met his future wife through the church, Gracie Williams. It was in June, 1917 that he received his draft notice. He tried to avoid serving in the U.S. military on the grounds that he was a conscientious objector, but his claim was rejected because his church was not recognized as a legitimate Christian sect.
His Military Service in France
Corporal Alvin C. York was a member of G Company in the 328th Infantry, 82nd division of the American Expeditionary Force. October 8th, 1918 was the day that made him famous. Along with sixteen other men, he was ordered to take control of the Decauville railway behind Hill 223 in the Meuse-Argonne sector. They all wound up behind enemy lines because they misread their French map, and the bullets quickly started to fly between the German and U.S. troops. Making head shots at a distance of 300 yards, York worked his way along a line of machine-gun pits, careful not to waste any ammunition. When German foot soldiers tried to attack him he calmly used a Colt .45 automatic to shoot all ten of them, starting with the man at the rear (Martin Pegler, Out Of Nowhere, A History Of The Military Sniper Osprey Publishing 2004). When the dust settled 132 enemy soldiers had surrendered. York was promoted to the rank of sargeant and was awarded the Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre.
His Legacy
York's duty was done and was welcomed home in New York with a ticker tape parade in May, 1919. In June of that year he married Gracie Williams. York faced a difficult readjustment to home life. An obscure labourer was now the most famous man in Fentress County. Convinced that God had chosen him for special work, he was determined to use his fame to benefit his native land (David D. Lee, Sargeant York: An American Hero University of Kentucky Press 1985). He founded the York Institute of Agriculture and its doors opened in 1929. It still operates today. He also worked tirelessly to improve roads in his home state. The Alvin C. York highway is now U.S. route #127 that runs north and south through Fentress County.
York died on September 2nd, 1964.
