n
bullets were constantly whipping about them, usually however over their
heads in the branches. They came upon an old trench and followed it
over the brow of the hill, when suddenly they saw two Germans ahead of
them. They fired on the Germans; one ran and escaped, the other
surrendered. Going on, they soon discovered a couple of dozen Germans
gathered about a small hut beside a stream which ran through the valley
below. The Americans opened fire. The Germans dropped their guns,
threw up their hands, and yelled, "Kamerad! Kamerad!" This meant they
had surrendered. Among them was the major in command.

Some of York's seven men were assigned to guard the prisoners and had
assembled them, when a hail of machine-gun bullets came from the
hillside directly in front of them and across the brook. Every one,
Germans included, fell flat on the ground. The Americans had indeed
come over the hilltop down behind the German machine-guns, but the
gunners had now turned them squarely around and were sending a rain of
bullets upon the Americans. They avoided firing upon their German
comrades and thus the American privates guarding them were
comparatively safe. Corporal York was on the hill above the prisoners
and it was difficult for the gunners to hit him without killing or
injuring some of their own men. A well-aimed rifle or pistol shot
might have done it, however.

He had fallen into a path and was somewhat protected by the rise on the
side toward the German guns. From here, lying flat upon his face, he
coolly aimed his rifle and picked off German after German, after every
shot calling upon those left to come down and surrender.

His comrades could not assist him, for those who were not with the
German prisoners were so situated that to show themselves meant instant
death.

Seeing York must be taken at any cost, a German lieutenant and seven
men sprang up from behind one of the machine-guns, only about one
hundred feet distant, and charged upon the red-headed American who was
fighting a whole company. The officer who ordered the Germans to
charge knew of course that some of them would be killed, but he was
sure the remaining ones would capture or kill the American; but York,
the man from Tennessee, who was not sure at one time that it was right
to fight, did not lose his coolness, his courage, or his skill with the
automatic pistol, and a German lieutenant and seven German privates
fell before his unerring aim.