Sergeant York and His People, by Sam K. Cowan, tells the story of Sergeant York, but is as much about the place and people he came from as it is about the fight in the Argonne Forest for which York became so famous. The author went to live for awhile among the people of Pall Mall, Tennessee, apparently so that the people there would learn to trust him and talk to him. Cowan was able to get Sergeant York's consent to tell his story and that of his people on the condition that "it be told right."

The book opens with a recounting of the battle in the Argonne Forest which York participated in. But it proceeds with a history of the "Valley of the Three Forks o' the Wolf" where York was from. This history stretches all the way back to the 18th Century, when the area was first occupied by colonial settlers moving west, through the civil war when the relative prosperity of the area was destroyed by war and partisanship, up to York's time. The last two chapters of the book tell us about York's life in Pall Mall and his time in the army, as well as all the honors he received after the battle.

I found the history of this remote part of Tennessee interesting. But if you are looking for more discussion about York's participation in World War I, this is probably not the book want. This book tells more about the people of this part of Tennessee and the kind of man York was, coming from this background. Also be aware that the book was published in 1922, and there is at least one old country phrase quoted in the book that would be considered offensive today. Overall, I liked the book as a way to get to know who Sergeant York was. ( )

This book was written by man of similar background and culture to its subject, and provides great insight into their shared culture and values. Alvin York was possibly the most successful war hero of his nation's history, and it is his humility and devotion to his principles that come through most clearly in this book. ( )

”This is not a war-story, but the tale of the making of a man. His ancestors were able to leave him but one legacy – an idea of American manhood.”

I found this to be an endearing story of the life of the WWI hero, Alvin York, the history of his family and background, and the surrounding area of their home place. This is one of the earliest biographies, coming very shortly after his return home from war, so is written in the style of the time. I did not find that a distraction, but rather a support to such a story as his.

”He came from a cabin in the backwoods of Tennessee but he was raised under influences that make real men. A boy’s ideal, in his early life, is the father who guides him, and Sergeant York had before him a character that was picturesque in its rugged manhood and honestly, and inspiring in its devotion to right and justice. . . . This little mother in the mountains, unread and untutored, with only the dictates of her own heart to guide her, had early adopted as her guiding philosophy the belief that the greatest thing in life is love.”

The author obviously believes that this American hero deserves the praise heaped upon him, not just for his heroism in war, but the character underlying it, for he ends his work with:

” PALMAM QUI MERUIT FERAT!
Let him bear the palm who has deserved it.”

I agree. And I enjoyed this book. ( )