by Martha Hutchens
 |
| image by @everett225, deposit photos |
Alvin C. York was born on December 13, 1887. He was the third of eleven children, born into poverty in the backwoods hills of Tennessee. He grew up working alongside his father in the fields and in the family’s blacksmith shop. When his father died in 1911, Alvin was just twenty-three years old and suddenly shouldered much of the responsibility for helping support the family.
He did not handle that loss well. For a time, he turned his back on the values he had been raised with. Drinking, gambling, and fighting became part of his life, just as the movie portrays.
But on January 1, 1915, he experienced a genuine conversion to Christianity.
 |
| image by @ VadimVasenin, deposit photos |
Here the movie simplifies the story. It dramatizes his conversion with a lightning strike. In reality, the change was quieter but no less dramatic. York later described the experience this way:
“I was fighting the thing inside of me, and it was the worstest fight I ever had.”
That is saying quite a lot considering he wrote those words after fighting in World War I.
If you’ve watched the movie, you know Alvin fell in love with his neighbor, Gracie Williams. Gracie’s father was not convinced Alvin’s conversion would last and initially refused to give his blessing. In his memoir, York wrote of Gracie:
“And I seed her eyes was blue … and though I never thought of it before, I jes’ knowed blue was my favorite color.”
In June of 1917, Alvin received notice that he would be drafted. He submitted a request for exemption due to religious convictions. As he understood it, “Thou shalt not kill” seemed pretty clear.
His request was denied, and he reported to Camp Gordon. He continued to wrestle with his desire to be a conscientious objector, all the while impressing his superiors with his remarkable shooting ability.
York had grown up in the mountains of Tennessee, where shooting meant food on the table. There were also frequent shooting matches that could bring in a bit of cash. Even among men for whom shooting was a necessity, York was considered a crack shot. The Army quickly recognized his skill and assigned him to train other recruits.
One of the most compelling parts of the film turns out to be true.
York went to his company commander to explain his confusion over being denied conscientious objector status. His commander took him to the battalion commander, Major G. Edward Buxton, who was a man who also knew his Bible.
Just as in the movie, they “battled scriptures.”
York later wrote, “I was kinder surprised at his knowledge of the Bible.” Major Buxton eventually granted him a ten-day leave to return home and think things through in the hills he knew so well.
York came back to Camp Gordon convinced that a man of God could fight in a just war.
He arrived in France in May of 1918 as a corporal.
On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, York and his battalion were tasked with taking Hill 223. The Germans had held the position for months and were well dug in, with multiple machine-gun nests covering the valley below.
When York and his unit attempted to advance, machine-gun fire stopped them cold.
“I was fighting the thing inside of me, and it was the worstest fight I ever had.”
That is saying quite a lot considering he wrote those words after fighting in World War I.
If you’ve watched the movie, you know Alvin fell in love with his neighbor, Gracie Williams. Gracie’s father was not convinced Alvin’s conversion would last and initially refused to give his blessing. In his memoir, York wrote of Gracie:
“And I seed her eyes was blue … and though I never thought of it before, I jes’ knowed blue was my favorite color.”
In June of 1917, Alvin received notice that he would be drafted. He submitted a request for exemption due to religious convictions. As he understood it, “Thou shalt not kill” seemed pretty clear.
His request was denied, and he reported to Camp Gordon. He continued to wrestle with his desire to be a conscientious objector, all the while impressing his superiors with his remarkable shooting ability.
 |
| image by @ Oleg.0, deposit photos |
One of the most compelling parts of the film turns out to be true.
York went to his company commander to explain his confusion over being denied conscientious objector status. His commander took him to the battalion commander, Major G. Edward Buxton, who was a man who also knew his Bible.
Just as in the movie, they “battled scriptures.”
York later wrote, “I was kinder surprised at his knowledge of the Bible.” Major Buxton eventually granted him a ten-day leave to return home and think things through in the hills he knew so well.
York came back to Camp Gordon convinced that a man of God could fight in a just war.
He arrived in France in May of 1918 as a corporal.
On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, York and his battalion were tasked with taking Hill 223. The Germans had held the position for months and were well dug in, with multiple machine-gun nests covering the valley below.
When York and his unit attempted to advance, machine-gun fire stopped them cold.
 |
| image by @ everett225, deposit photos |
York later wrote:
“We knowed them there machine guns would have to be put out of action before the advance could go on. We also knowed that there was so many of them … that a whole battalion couldn’t put them out of action nohow by a frontal attack.”
A patrol of seventeen men moved to circle behind the German position. They successfully captured a group of German soldiers, but were then met with intense machine-gun fire.
Six Americans were killed. Three were wounded.
That left seven men still able to fight.
York took command. Drawing on the steady marksmanship he had learned in the Tennessee hills, he began firing deliberately at the German machine-gun crews while calling for their surrender.
Eventually, the Germans did surrender — 132 of them.
When York later reported to his brigade commander, the officer reportedly said, “Well, York, I hear you captured the whole German army.”
With characteristic modesty, York replied, “No, sir. I got only 132.”
York was awarded the Medal of Honor.
At the end of the war, he returned to Tennessee and married Gracie. One of my favorite lines from the movie is when Gracie grows frustrated with York’s uncertainty and says, “I done kissed you, ain’t I? I don’t go around kissing men I ain’t aiming to marry.” Supposedly, that line was the only thing in the film the Yorks disliked — because in real life, they had their first kiss on their wedding day.
York turned down numerous opportunities to profit from his fame. Instead, he sought ways to use it to benefit the people of his beloved mountains.
Even that did not go smoothly.
If you’d like to learn more about York’s life after the war — including the school he founded and the challenges he later faced — I’ve written another post on that topic. You can find it here.
“We knowed them there machine guns would have to be put out of action before the advance could go on. We also knowed that there was so many of them … that a whole battalion couldn’t put them out of action nohow by a frontal attack.”
A patrol of seventeen men moved to circle behind the German position. They successfully captured a group of German soldiers, but were then met with intense machine-gun fire.
Six Americans were killed. Three were wounded.
That left seven men still able to fight.
York took command. Drawing on the steady marksmanship he had learned in the Tennessee hills, he began firing deliberately at the German machine-gun crews while calling for their surrender.
Eventually, the Germans did surrender — 132 of them.
When York later reported to his brigade commander, the officer reportedly said, “Well, York, I hear you captured the whole German army.”
With characteristic modesty, York replied, “No, sir. I got only 132.”
York was awarded the Medal of Honor.
At the end of the war, he returned to Tennessee and married Gracie. One of my favorite lines from the movie is when Gracie grows frustrated with York’s uncertainty and says, “I done kissed you, ain’t I? I don’t go around kissing men I ain’t aiming to marry.” Supposedly, that line was the only thing in the film the Yorks disliked — because in real life, they had their first kiss on their wedding day.
York turned down numerous opportunities to profit from his fame. Instead, he sought ways to use it to benefit the people of his beloved mountains.
Even that did not go smoothly.
If you’d like to learn more about York’s life after the war — including the school he founded and the challenges he later faced — I’ve written another post on that topic. You can find it here.
Martha’ debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, is now available. You can learn more about her books and historical research at Martha Hutchens.com.
When his family legacy is on the line, rancher Drew McGraw becomes desperate for someone to tame and tutor his three children. Desperate enough to seek a mail-order bride. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, Drew balks.
Heiress Kaitlyn Montgomery runs straight from the scandal chasing her toward a fresh start on a secluded ranch. She strikes a bargain with Drew—a marriage convenient for both of them.
But the more Kaitlyn adapts to ranch life and forms a bond with Drew’s children and their enigmatic father, she realizes that this ranch is where she is meant to be. And then her past catches up with her…
No comments:
Post a Comment