Ebook: Alvin York: a new biography of the hero of the Argonne
- Tags: Argonne Battle of the France 1918, Military campaigns, Soldiers, Soldiers--United States, World War 1914-1918--Campaigns--France, Biographies, York Alvin Cullum -- 1887-1964, United States. -- Army -- Biography, United States. -- Army, World War 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- France, Soldiers -- United States -- Biography, France, United States
- Series: Book collections on Project MUSE
- Year: 2014
- Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
- City: France;United States
- Language: English
- epub
Alvin C. York (1887—1964) — devout Christian, conscientious objector, and reluctant hero of World War I — is one of America's most famous and celebrated soldiers. Known to generations through Gary Cooper's Academy Award-winning portrayal in the 1941 film Sergeant York, York is credited with the capture of 132 German soldiers on October 8, 1918, in the Meuse-Argonne region of France — a deed for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
At war's end, the media glorified York's bravery but some members of the German military and a soldier from his own unit cast aspersions on his wartime heroics. Historians continue to debate whether York has received more recognition than he deserves. A fierce disagreement about the location of the battle in the Argonne forest has further complicated the soldier's legacy.
In Alvin York, Douglas V. Mastriano sorts fact from myth in the first full-length biography of York in decades. He meticulously...