|
From a cabin back in the
mountains of Tennessee, forty-eight miles from the railroad, a young man
went to the World War. He was untutored in the ways of the world. Caught by
the enemy in the cove of a hill in the Forest of Argonne, he did not run;
but sank into the bushes and single-handed fought a battalion of German
machine gunners until he made them come down that hill to him with their
hands in air. There were one hundred and thirty-two of them left, and he
marched them, prisoners, into the American line. Marshal Foch, in decorating
him, said, "What you did was the greatest thing accomplished by any private
soldier of all of the armies of Europe." His ancestors were cane-cutters and
Indian fighters. Their lives were rich in the romance of adventure. They
were men of strong hate and gentle love. His people have lived in the
simplicity of the pioneer. 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. In the period that has elapsed since he came down from
the mountains he has done three things—and any one of them would have marked
him for distinction. (Summary by Sam Cowan)
Audio files are in MP3 format
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 |
