Sergeant Alvin C. York was born a poorly-educated Tennessee mountaineer who was to become a World War 1 national hero, decorated for his heroic deeds and acts of bravery as a soldier of Company 'G' in the 328th Infantry of the US Army.
Sergeant York was awarded his nation’s highest
decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions outside the French village of
Châtel-Chéhéry on October 8, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive against the German forces.
The impressive statue of Alvin York in
front of Nashville's Tennessee State Capitol building attests to his
enduring importance in Tennessee history. His return from France was honored throughout the state of Tennessee and he became an influential state and national
figure for the remainder of his life.
History in the making
Until now, the exact circumstances and locations regarding York’s exploits at Châtel-
Chéhéry have eluded us. They have been the subject of much controversy amongst military historians in the US and Europe.
Now for the first time, the truth of York's valiant deeds can be revealed.
In November 2006, the Sergeant York Project research team found compelling and indisputable evidence in the Argonne Forest, France, that revealed for the first time the exact circumstances in which Sergeant Alvin York killed 21 German troops and took 132 of the enemy as prisoners.
A formidable team of American academics and military historians, British battlefield experts and the French archaeological authorities all worked together on this project and by using the very latest research techniques on site in France, York's WW1 battlefield campaign slowly unfolded stage by stage.
The entire campaign has now been skilfully documented in a Dissertation by Thomas J. Nolan, B.S., M.S. called Battlefield Landscapes: Geographical Information Science as a Method of Integrating History and Archaeology for Battlefield Interpretation.
Read Tom Nolan's paper (198 pages) to discover the methodology the team employed and the results they obtained.
Furthermore, an exclusive Tour Book has been published by the Sergeant York Project Team for the benefit of battlefield historians and others wishing to visit the region and retrace the WW1 campaign.
The exclusive Sergeant Alvin C. York E-book
The Dissertation has now been published as an exclusive E-Book available for download from this site at a modest cost.
The E-book contains an absolute wealth of detailed research, locations, maps, fascinating historical documents and more, describing the GIS techniques and research that Thomas J. Nolan and a team of historians assembled to confirm beyond doubt the circumstances of Sergeant York's WW1 battle.
The paper has the accolade of becoming the undisputed and accurate account of Sergeant York's victories in the World War 1 battlefields of France.
In November 2000 I gave a paper at a meeting of the Western Front Association (US Branch) in Tennessee. Part of the meeting was a visit to Pall Mall, the home of Alvin C. York. York and his exploits were always at the periphery of my own work with the First Division, but that conference stimulated my interest.
Now Thomas J. Nolan, with the help of many colleagues, has investigated the question “where exactly did York’s heroic actions take place”? Combining his own expertise in archeology with the historical records and the assistance of local experts, Nolan and the research team located significant artifact evidence in the Argonne near the village of Châtel-Chéhéry.
This detailed report of the findings and the methodology used, based on Nolan’s doctoral dissertation, has opened new avenues of battlefield research.
John F. Votaw, Sr. Author of The American Expeditionary Forces in World War I (Osprey, 2005)
Our web site contains a wealth of resources and background which will appeal to everyone involved with the life and times of Sergeant Alvin C. York. We hope you will enjoy the free sample E-book or buy the full version.
The Secure E-book is Windows only and involves a one-off payment via Paypal (all common credit cards are accepted). It is validated via your Internet connection each time you open the document. Free Adobe Reader required. Please see the notes on the EBook page.
Add to your Favorites
