Dr. Fred Phillips was born in Scott County in 1882. After service in the Spanish American War, he graduated from dental school in 1911 and opened a successful practice in Oneida. During WWI he became a registrar helping to enlist men for the service from this area. It was while serving in this role that he had one of his most memorable experiences. He stated:
"The young men going into military service from our area used to come to Oneida, spend the night, and take a fast train out the next day to army camp. There was one, from near-by Fentress County, whom I particularly remember because he was tall, redheaded and carried a Bible under his arm. The next afternoon all of the boys were at the train depot ready to catch the train and again I noticed this tall, red-headed fellow. He was on the platform but off to himself, and he still carried that Bible under his arm. As I was to learn later, that man was Alvin C. York, the conscientious objector who was later to return as America's most decorated hero of World War One."
This information was taken from Dr. Fred Phillips obituary.
Bonus fact: Sergeant York also recorded his overnight stay in Oneida in his wartime diary on November 15, 1917. He stated, "I went to Oneida, Tennessee and stayed there at the hotel until about 2 A.M. next morning when I entrained for Atlanta, Georgia."
No comments:
Post a Comment