World War I · Film · 1941
Sergeant York
A hard-drinking Tennessee sharpshooter finds religion, tries to refuse the draft as a conscientious objector, and ends up in the Argonne Forest facing the choice that makes him America's most famous soldier.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 4 places.
Stop 1: Pall Mall, Tennessee
Alvin brawls, drinks and shoots for prize money to buy a patch of bottomland, until a lightning strike turns him toward the church.
Stop 2: Hill 223 near Châtel-Chéhéry, Argonne
Key location
With his sergeant and corporals cut down, York works around a German machine-gun nest and takes command of what is left of his squad.
Stop 3: New York
Feted as a national hero, York is offered fortunes for endorsements and stage appearances and turns them all down.
Stop 4: Home to Pall Mall
Back in the valley, Alvin marries Gracie and finds a surprise waiting on the land he once dreamed of.
What really happened
Alvin York, a farmer from Pall Mall, Tennessee, was drafted in 1917 despite seeking exemption on religious grounds and served with the 328th Infantry of the 82nd Division. On 8 October 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive near Châtel-Chéhéry, he silenced a German machine-gun position, killing about 25 soldiers and capturing 132.
He received the Medal of Honor and returned home in 1919 to a hero's welcome, turning down lucrative offers. York long refused to sell his story and agreed only when Hollywood promised to fund a Bible school; released months before Pearl Harbor, the film became the year's top earner and won Gary Cooper the Oscar for Best Actor. Its farm gift is simplified: the land was bought through a fund raised by the Nashville Rotary Club.
Where to watch
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Full details
- Original title
- Sergeant York
- Directed by
- Howard Hawks
- Countries
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 1941
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe, The Americas
- Themes
- Combat
- Biography
- True story
