| Alvin Cullum York | |
|---|---|
| December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964 (aged 76) | |
  Sergeant Alvin York |
|
| Nickname | "Sergeant York" |
| Place of birth | Pall Mall, Tennessee |
| Place of death | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Place of burial | Wolf River Cemetery Pall Mall |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Corporal (at the time of Medal of Honor action), Sergeant (at end of war), Colonel (Tennessee State Guard WW II rank) |
| Unit | 82nd Infantry Division |
| Commands held | 7th Regiment, Tennessee State Guard |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Legion of Honor French Croix de Guerre French Croce di Guerra (Italian) War Medal Montenegro |
Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964) was an American soldier who is renowned as a World War I hero. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others. This action took place during the U.S.-led portion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which was part of a broader Allied offensive masterminded by Marshal Ferdinand Foch to breach the Hindenburg line and ultimately force the opposing German forces to capitulate.[1]
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Alvin Cullum York was born in a two-room log cabin near Pall Mall, Tennessee, on December 13, 1887,[2][3] the third of eleven children born to Mary Elizabeth Brooks (8 August 1866 - 21 May 1943) and William Uriah York (15 May 1863 – 17 November 1911).[4] William Uriah York was born in Jamestown, Tennessee, to Uriah York and Eliza Jane Livingston, both travellers from Buncombe County, North Carolina.[5] Mary Elizabeth York was born in Pall Mall, Tennessee, to William Brooks and Nancy Pile, and was the great-granddaughter of Coonrod Pile, an English settler who settled Pall Mall in Tennessee. William York and Mary Brooks married on December 25, 1881, and had eleven children. The York siblings are, in order: Henry Singleton, Joseph Marion, Alvin Cullum, Samuel John, Albert, Hattie, George Alexander, James Preston, Lillian Mae, Robert Daniel, and Lucy Erma.[5] The York family is of English, Irish, Choctaw, and Cherokee ancestry.[6]
The York family resided in the Indian Creek area of Fentress County.[5] The family was impoverished, with William York working as a blacksmith, by which he supplemented the family income. The father and sons of the York family would gather and harvest their own food, while the mother knitted all family clothing.[5] The York sons only attended nine months of schooling,[3] and withdrew from education because William York wanted his sons to assist him in tending to the family farm.[5]
When William York died in November 1911, his son Alvin assisted his mother in raising his younger siblings.[5] Alvin was the oldest living sibling that was then-residing in the county, as his two older brothers had married and moved into different areas. In order to supplement the family income, York first held employment as a community laborer in Harriman, Tennessee.[3] By all accounts he was very devoted to his family. However, in the few years before the war, York was a violent alcoholic and prone to fighting in saloons. His mother, a member of a pacifist Protestant denomination, tried to persuade York to change his ways because she worried he would "amount to nothin'"[3], however to no avail. In the winter of 1914, he and his friend engaged in a fight with other saloon patrons during a night of heavy drinking. The incident resulted in his friend Everett Delk being beaten to death inside a saloon in Clinton County, Kentucky.[3] The event was profound enough that York finally followed his mother's advice and became a pacifist, and stopped drinking alcohol. York was baptized as a born again Christian in the Wolf River, with the baptism being conducted by Reverend H.H. Russell in early 1915.[3]
On June 5, 1917, at the age of 29, Alvin York received a notice to register for the draft. From that day until he arrived back from the War on May 29, 1919, he kept a diary of his activities.[7]
York belonged to a Protestant denomination, the Church of Christ in Christian Union, which, despite having no specific doctrine of pacificism, opposed warfare and violence.[8] According to documentation (see image), York did apply for conscientious objector status but was not approved. York's diary, however, states that when documentation reached him in camp for discharge from the Army on the basis of both religious grounds and sole support for his mother, he refused to sign, and disclaimed ever having been a conscientious objector.[9]
York enlisted in the United States Army and served in Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Discussion of the Biblical stance on war with his company commander, Captain Edward Courtney Bullock Danforth (1894–1974) of Augusta, Georgia and his battalion commander, Major Gonzalo Edward Buxton (1880–1949) of Providence, Rhode Island, eventually convinced York that warfare could be justified.[2]
During an attack by his battalion to secure German positions along the Decauville rail-line north of Chatel-Chehery, France, on October 8, 1918, York's actions earned him the Medal of Honor. He recalled:
| “ | The Germans got us, and they got us right smart. They just stopped us dead in our tracks. Their machine guns were up there on the heights overlooking us and well hidden, and we couldn’t tell for certain where the terrible heavy fire was coming from… And I'm telling you they were shooting straight. Our boys just went down like the long grass before the mowing machine at home. Our attack just faded out… And there we were, lying down, about halfway across [the valley] and those German machine guns and big shells getting us hard.[10] | „ |
Four non-commissioned officers and thirteen privates under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early (which included York) were ordered to infiltrate behind the German lines to take out the machine guns. The group worked their way behind the Germans and overran the headquarters of a German unit, capturing a large group of German soldiers who were preparing a counter-attack against the U.S. troops. Early’s men were contending with the prisoners when machine gun fire suddenly peppered the area, killing six Americans: Corp. Murray Savage, and Pvts. Maryan E. Dymowski, Ralph E. Weiler, Fred Waring, William Wins and Walter E. Swanson, and wounding three others, Sgt. Early, Corp. William S. Cutting (AKA Otis B. Merrithew) and Pvt. Mario Muzzi. The fire came from German machine guns on the ridge, which turned their weapons on the U.S. soldiers. The loss of the nine put Corporal York in charge of the seven remaining U.S. soldiers, Privates Joseph Kornacki, Percy Beardsley, Feodor Sok, Thomas C. Johnson, Michael A. Saccina, Patrick Donohue and George W. Wills. As his men remained under cover, and guarding the prisoners, York worked his way into position to silence the German machine guns.
York recalled:
| “ | And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush… As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting… All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had.[11] | „ |
During the assault, a group of eight German soldiers in a trench near York were ordered to charge him with fixed bayonets. York had fired all the rounds in his rifle, but drew out his pistol and shot all eight of the soldiers before they could reach him.[12]
One of York’s prisoners, German First Lieutenant Paul Jürgen Vollmer (who spoke fluent English) of 1st Battalion, 120th Württemberg Landwehr Regiment[13], emptied his pistol trying to kill York while he was contending with the machine guns. Failing to injure York, and seeing his mounting losses, he offered to surrender the unit to York, who gladly accepted. By the end of the engagement, York and his seven men marched 132 German prisoners back to the American lines. His actions silenced the German machine guns and were responsible for enabling the 328th Infantry to renew its attack to capture the Decauville Railroad.[14]
York was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism, but this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, which was presented to York by the commanding general of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. Pershing. The French Republic awarded him the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honor. Italy and Montenegro awarded him the Croce di Guerra and War Medal, respectively.
York was a corporal during the action. His promotion to sergeant was part of the honor for his valor. Of his deeds, York said to his division commander, General George B. Duncan, in 1919: "A higher power than man power guided and watched over me and told me what to do."
Citation:
After his platoon suffered heavy casualties and 3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.[15]
On June 7, 1919, Alvin C. York and Gracie Loretta Williams (7 February 1900 - 27 September 1984)[16] were married by Tennessee Governor Albert H. Roberts in Pall Mall. They had seven children, all named after American historical figures: five sons (Alvin Cullum, Jr.; Edward Buxton; Woodrow Wilson; Andrew Jackson; and Thomas Jefferson) and two daughters (Betsy Ross and Mary Alice).[17]
York founded the Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, a private agricultural school in Jamestown, Tennessee, that was eventually turned over to the State of Tennessee. The school, now known as Alvin C. York Institute, is the only fully state-funded public high school in the State of Tennessee. The school is a nationally recognized school of excellence and boasts the highest high school graduation percentage in the state. It is home to almost 800 students.
York also opened a Bible school, and later operated a mill in Pall Mall on the Wolf River.
During World War II he attempted to re-enlist in the Infantry but was denied because of age. Instead he went on bond tours and made personal appearances to support the war effort. He convinced the state of the need for a reserve force at home and was active in the creation of the Tennessee State Guard in 1941, in which he served as a Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 7th Infantry Regiment. He was also involved with recruiting and war bond drives as well as inspection tours of American soldiers in training.
Alvin York died at the Veterans Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 2, 1964, of a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried at the Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall.[18] His funeral sermon was delivered by Richard G. Humble, General Superintendent of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union. Humble also preached Mrs. York's funeral in 1984.
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Alvin C. York at Find a Grave Retrieved on March 9, 2010
Alvin Cullum York (13 December 1887 – 2 September 1964) was a United States soldier, famous as a World War I hero. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others.
Contents |
  | Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation - Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation |
| | Laura Cantrell Biography - Matador Records | Laura Cantrell Biography |
| | Tennessee's "Christian Warrior" - Tennessee's "Christian Warrior" -- Alvin York |
| | News footage of how researchers discovered where Sergeant York fought in the Argoone Forest, France - YouTube - Sergeant York |
| | News covereage of the discovery of the site where SGT York earned the Medal of Honor - YouTube - Sergeant York site found! |
| | Where Sgt York fought "One day in Oktober" - Visier - Das internationale Waffen-Magazin |
| | No More Time for Sergeant York - No More Time for Sergeant York - TIME |
| | Proof offered of Sergeant York's war exploits - The New York Times > Log In |
| | The New Sergeant York Trophy Series - The All State - The New Sergeant York Trophy Series |
| | TENNESSEE STATE GUARD ESTABLISHES THE ALVIN C YORK AWARD - Tennessee State Guard |
| | Pictures of Sergeant York Trail inauguration - Inauguration of Sgt. York Trail and Memorial at Châtel Chéhéry on October 4th 2008 pictures, photos, and videos, from friends & fun on webshots |
| | A proud performer after all - A proud performer after all | Sporting News, The | Find Articles at BNET |
| | Video news coverage of Sergeant York Trail and dedication of monuments where York fought - American Forces Network Europe > Home > Article Display (DD) |
| | ''Sergeant York And His People'' - Sergeant York And His People by Sam K. Cowan - Project Gutenberg |
| | "Alvin York - 90 years later" - Bill Rudge Ministries |
| | York, Alvin C. (Medal of Honor citation) - Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I |
| | Battlefield Detective: Sergeant York Fought Here! - July 2007 Index |
| | "The Diary of Alvin York" - "The Diary of Alvin York" by Alvin C. York |
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