The York Patrol: The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I's Most Famous Soldier
The York Patrol: The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I's Most Famous Soldier
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Overview
A reluctant WWI hero, a much-loved story, a classic movie. During 1918, in one fateful battle in France, behind German lines, Sergeant Alvin York was reported to have single-handedly killed dozens of Germans, captured another 132, and almost as an afterthought, rounded up 35 machine guns to boot. The real story is, of course, better. This well-detailed, excellent history of the battalion, the field and the battles is dramatic and sobering in the telling, and gripping to read.
York would become an American legend, celebrated in magazines, books, and a blockbuster biopic starring Gary Cooper. The film, Sergeant York, told of a hell-raiser from backwoods Tennessee who had a come-to-Jesus moment, then wrestled with his newfound Christian convictions to become one of the greatest heroes the U.S. Army had ever known. It was a great storybut not the whole story.
In this absorbing history, James Carl Nelson unspools, for the first time, the complete story of Alvin York and the events that occurred in the Argonne Forest on that day. Nelson gives voice, in particular, to the sixteen “others” who fought beside York. Hailing from big cities and small towns across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries, these soldiers included a patrician Connecticut farmer whose lineage could be traced back to the American Revolution, a poor runaway from Massachusetts who joined the Army under a false name, and a Polish immigrant who enlisted in hopes of expediting his citizenship. The York Patrol shines a long overdue spotlight on these men and York, and pays homage to their bravery and sacrifice.
The York Patrol is a rousing tale of courage, tragedy, and heroism.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781799957805 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date: | 02/23/2021 |
Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Author's Note ix
Maps xi
Chapter 1 The Day 1
Chapter 2 The Man 7
Chapter 3 The Paths of Righteousness 15
Chapter 4 The Salt of the Earth 25
Chapter 5 A Time for War 37
Chapter 6 From Paradise to Battle 51
Chapter 7 Toward the Unknown 63
Chapter 8 Lost Boys 71
Chapter 9 To Kingdom Come 83
Chapter 10 Day of Days, Part One 93
Chapter 11 Day of Days, Part Two 105
Chapter 12 An Epochal Exploit 111
Chapter 13 What Would York Do 125
Chapter 14 A Time for Peace 135
Chapter 15 Waiting for the Hero 149
Chapter 16 A Clear Conscience 161
Chapter 17 The Spoils of War 169
Chapter 18 A One-Man Army? 183
Chapter 19 His War Diary 201
Chapter 20 How a Hillbilly Got a Farm 211
Chapter 21 An Imitation of War 221
Chapter 22 Old Soldiers 233
Acknowledgments 247
Sources 249
Bibliography 257
Index 261