Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-07-24
"Mommer's Boy"


a sissy, but he may not prove to be
one; no, not even when he grows up
into a conscientious objector TO war
fare. Mr.. Joseph Cummings Chase,
the artist, who has been in France
painting portraits, by government
order, of our American generals and
of typical soldiers as well, gladly in
cluded one such in his gallery-Sergt.
A. c. York-upon the recommended
tion of Gen. Duncan, who called the
exploit for which York was decorated
the most remarkable of which he had
heard in the whole war.
His full name is Alvin c. York. He
is tall, raw-boned mountaineer with
red face and red hair, and he is
probably about twenty-eight years OF
age. He is a drafted man, and be-
longs to the 32Sth Infantry. He got
religion" previous to the war, and, al
though he had "toted" a gun ever
since he could carry one and was an
expert squirrel shot, he had fixed
coviction that il was wrong TO Kill
However, he did not resist the draft,
and in fact he became very excellent
noncommissioned officer. His captain
took an interest in him, and spent the
better part of one night arguing with
him, using Scriptural quotations as the
main part of his arguments. The re-
suit was that York was converted TO
the war and decided TO fight.
Soon after arriving al the front ne
was sent out with a combat group in
charge Of a sergeant. They came un-
der the fire of a Hun machine-gun
nest, and the sergeant in command and
all the members Of the party were kill
cd outright except York and five men.
York, who was then corporal, as
sumed command, charged the machine
gun nest, and captured il and took sew
eral prisoners. The party then pro-
ceeded, and again came under ma
chine-gun fire. The corporal, men
and prisoners hattened themselves
out on the ground, the corporal yelling
to his five men to cover the prisoners.
York unlimbered his weapon and, in
his old-time manner as a squirrel
hunter, aimed his rifle fire at the
enemy machine gunnerS.
81 asked him afterwards" said Gen.
Duncan, chow many shots he had fired,
and he said, About twenty-four times.
That was an interesting statement. Tor
after the encounter we found that
twenty-four dead Germans were his
bag. In fact, the fight only ended
when the officer in charge of the Ger
man machine guns offered 10 stop the
machine-gun fire if York would stop
his rifle fire. The enemy surrendered,
and Serg. York and his men marched
to battalion headquarters one hundred
and thirty-two prisoners. including
four officers.
another remarkable fact is that
Sergt. York delivered his prisoners to
the nearest battalion headquarters,
which was not his own, and that at |
his own headquarters he made no men,
ton Of the affair. 1t was only by ac-
cident that the story came to his own
command from the adjacent battalion.
The facts were then verified, and for
this action York received the Dis
Service Cross and the Con-
gressional Medal of Honor
When this modest and pacifically in
clined hero was sent for to have his |
portrait painted, the artist naturally |
enough sought to establish pleasant
social relations with his subject by |
acquainting himself with few per
sonal facts So he asked the young |
Tennessean casually if he were mar
ried.
"No," he answered slowly, with his
Southern drawl, 81 was always kind
of a 'mommer's boy"