York, Alvin
York, Alvin (1887–1964), American soldier and World War I hero known as “Sergeant York.”A semieducated Tennessee mountaineer and sharpshooter, York in his late twenties joined a fundamentalist pacifist sect. In 1917, when his draft board rejected his claim for deferment as a conscientious objector, York went off to war, convinced, after a second conversion experience, that God wanted him to fight for his country.
During the Meuse‐Argonne offensive in France in an engagement on 8 October 1918, York's small detachment from the 82nd Division was pinned down by German fire. He personally shot and killed 25 German soldiers, captured 132 more, and put 35 enemy machine guns out of action. Promoted from corporal to sergeant, he was awarded the highest decorations of the American and French governments, and became, as “Sergeant York,” the most renowned doughboy of the...
[The entire page is 318 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
