The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition

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The first of four .45 caliber slugs found in the Argonne in close proximity to a trench.


German Lieutenant Fritz Endriss of the 2nd Württemberg Landwehr Division, 120th regiment, lead a failed bayonet attack against York. The German and American testimony agree that this attack was launched from a nearby trench. The position of these slugs, and 2 others near the still existent trench, were in a pattern consistent with a bayonet attack formation used by the German army. This discovery was a key element in finding the York Spot which lay a mere 20 - 25 meters away.


The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition is accepting donations to help complete the SGT. York Historic Trail and Memorial.
Click HERE to learn more.

The York Artifacts Gallery

All of the following photos were taken by members of The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition (SYDE) during our field research phase in 2006 and during the trail-work in 2008. 

The pictures below show the first  .45 caliber ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) shell casings discovered by members of The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition on 21 OCT 2006.  Twenty-three shell casing were found in all.  This supports the written record in the 82nd Infantry history book dated 1919 where it states that York fired three complete clips from his 45 pistol.  Click on the photos to see a closer look.

         
                The first shell casing discovered                                 The photo above shows the second shell casing 
                                                                                                              found at the York Spot. This casing was found almost
                                                                                                              completely intact thus putting an end to the theory that
                                                                                                              these smaller .45 caliber casings may have
                                                                                                             "dissolved" or were otherwise impossible to find.


         
The two photos above were taken of the third and fourth shell casings discovered. Again, one being completely intact, gave hope that all 21 casing could be found. All of the shell casing shown in this page were found at what is now known as the "York Spot". The area where all 23 casings were found is only about 10 - 15 feet square and each shell casing was only 4 - 6 inches deep in the rich Argonne soil. 


            
   These pictures were take at the York Spot.  Each flag represents the location of a .45 caliber shell casing.
Notice the tight grouping which indicates a fairly static firing position.
  

This picture shows the first .45 caliber slug or projectile found near the "York Spot". 
It was the discovery of this slug that gave SYDE the final clue which ultimately lead to the 23 shell casings fired by York.

         
The first 19 shell casing fresh from the Argonne soil.              Here the letters "REM-UMC" and the number "17" can
                                                                                                                be seen indicating the manufacturer,
                                                                                                                 Remington - Union Metallic Corporation,
                                                                                                                 and the year 1917, date of manufacture.

The .45 caliber shells were an important part in finding the York Spot, however, no one artifact can stand alone to tell the story.  It is a combination of all the artifacts considered in relation to the written records that tell the complete story. 

         
These pictures show the 30.06 shell casings found near the "York Spot".   The positions where these shells were found corroborate the testimony that some of the 17 Americans with York also fired their weapons. 
This type of shell casing is consistent with the rifle used by US forces in the Argonne.

Below is another important piece of the puzzle discovered by SYDE, evidence of York's rifle position.  These 30.06 US shells were found in an excellent flanking position from the machine gun nest artifacts which can be seen in the German Gallery. 



A 30.06 US rifle shell found with 45 others along with 9 clips.  All of these shells were found within a 10 foot circle giving evidence of a static position.   

        
Here the shells and clips can be seen together.  This find is important because the 82nd infantry history book published in 1919 states that York fired all the ammunition from his belt.  It is possible that York, being an expert marksman and mindful of his situation, remained in this position until close to running out of ammo and then made his way back to where the bayonet attack eventually took place. (see SYDE report for details)

   
York's rifle position taken up during the fight on 8 OCT 1918.  This position is consistent with the Medal of Honor citation which states that York, with great daring, charged a machine gun position.

        

(Click on the photos above for a larger view)

 

On the right is a folded up US comb and left is a US button.  Both items were found while digging the York trail.

  

These US rifle clips give evidence of the fight which continuted after York's action when the US 82nd Div., 328th regiment secured a position covering the original goal, the North-South road.

The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition is accepting donations to help complete the SGT. York Historic Trail and Memorial.
Click HERE to learn more.
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