The Greater Love

In Short

This book is a firsthand memoir by Father George T. McCarthy, a Catholic chaplain in the United States Army who served with the 7th Division during World War I. Beginning with his initial training and deployment, the narrative follows his journey across the Atlantic to the front lines of France, including the dangerous Puvinelle and Rembercourt sectors. Through quiet courage and deep spiritual devotion, McCarthy administers sacraments, buries the dead, and shares the daily hardships of the "Doughboys." It endures as a poignant, faith-filled testament to American military service, human sacrifice, and pastoral duty during the war.

The Story

The narrative begins in the United States as Chaplain George T. McCarthy joins Base Hospital No. 11 at Camp Dodge, Iowa, where raw recruits from the Middle West are rapidly transformed into disciplined soldiers. Moving eastward to Camp Mills on Long Island and eventually embarking from Hoboken aboard the troop transport Leviathan, McCarthy accompanies thousands of American troops across the Atlantic. Protected by naval destroyers and aircraft, the massive convoy navigates the perilous war zone, arriving at the historic French port of Brest. From there, the troops endure an exhausting, eight-mile night march under heavy packs to Pontaneuzen Barracks, a cold and bleak rest camp that tests their physical endurance.

From Brest, the division moves to the quiet village of Ancey-le-Franc in Burgundy for further training. Here, McCarthy establishes close ties with the local French residents, including the Barnicault family with whom he billets, and the parish cure. He offers daily Mass, but as disease and hardship take their toll, he is also called upon to perform the solemn duty of burying young American soldiers in the village churchyard, attended by grieving local villagers who honor the fallen troops.

As the division receives orders for the front lines, McCarthy is appointed Senior Chaplain of the Seventh Division with the brevet rank of Captain. Equipped with steel helmets and gas masks, the men march to the Meurthe-et-Moselle region, entering active combat in the Puvinelle sector and near Bois le Pretre. McCarthy moves constantly between dugouts, sacristies, and advanced posts, organizing burial details, coordinating with welfare organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army, and providing spiritual support under constant artillery fire. He sustains minor injuries from shrapnel while traveling near Death Valley and braves targeted sniper fire on his horse, "Jip," to celebrate Mass for infantrymen in the ruined town of Thiacourt.

The climax of the memoir centers on the fierce offensive near Rembercourt and Jolney. Moving forward with the troops through heavy fog and mud, McCarthy witnesses intense aerial dogfights and artillery bombardments while offering last rites and spiritual comfort to soldiers preparing to rush machine-gun nests. Shortly after these desperate clashes, news arrives that the Armistice will take effect at eleven o'clock on November 11. As the guns fall silent, McCarthy prays the Rosary, reflecting on the sudden peace. Following the cessation of hostilities, he makes a personal pilgrimage to Domremy, the birthplace of St. Joan of Arc, seeking spiritual healing. Falling ill with influenza shortly thereafter, he is eventually evacuated to the United States, concluding his wartime service at military hospitals in Fort Sheridan and Asheville.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins After assembling at Camp Dodge and Camp Mills, the troops board the giant transport ship Leviathan at Hoboken, embarking on a tense ocean crossing guarded by destroyers and aircraft through submarine-infested waters.

Arrival in France Landing at the ancient port of Brest, the men undertake an arduous eight-mile march under heavy packs to Pontaneuzen Barracks, enduring cold winds, fog, and scarce rations.

Life in Burgundy Stationed at Ancey-le-Franc, McCarthy ministers to the soldiers, forms warm friendships with the local French townspeople, and conducts solemn military burials for troops who succumb to illness.

Entering the war zone Promoted to Senior Chaplain of the Seventh Division, McCarthy moves to the front line near the Puvinelle sector, delivering sacraments in ruined sacristies and surviving shrapnel wounds during an artillery barrage.

Faith under fire Riding his brave horse "Jip" across an open plain targeted by snipers, McCarthy reaches the devastated village of Thiacourt to say Sunday Mass for the frontline soldiers of the 55th Infantry.

The final offensive Accompanying troops into the intense battle at Rembercourt, McCarthy provides spiritual solace to soldiers advancing through fog and heavy shelling against fortified enemy positions.

The silence of peace On Armistice Day, as artillery fire ceases precisely at eleven o'clock, McCarthy offers prayers of gratitude before embarking on a pilgrimage to Domremy and returning home to recover from illness.

The People

• Chaplain George T. McCarthy: The author and central figure, a dedicated Catholic priest in the U.S. Army who seeks to provide moral strength, religious sacraments, and compassionate care to soldiers amidst the dangers of the front lines.
• Michel Barnicault: The elderly head of a French family in Ancey-le-Franc who warmly hosts McCarthy, offering his home and hospitality to the American chaplain.
• Andree Barnicault: The six-year-old grandson of Michel who forms a deep, affectionate bond with McCarthy, wearing his overseas cap and weeping when the chaplain departs for the front.
• Corporal Plummer: A courageous soldier and driver who skillfully navigates a motorcycle side-car through artillery fire to transport McCarthy to advanced positions along the front.
• Colonel Cummings: A firm and experienced commander of the Machine Gun Regiment who looks after the chaplain's safety, warning him against sleeping in vulnerable sacristies instead of underground dugouts.
• Colonel Lewis: A cool, resolute battalion commander who calmly leads his men into the dangerous attack at Rembercourt, sharing a bar of chocolate with McCarthy before the dawn assault.
• Captain Hall: A veteran officer with gray hair who, facing the peril of the Rembercourt offensive, entrusts McCarthy with a personal financial errand for his family in case he falls in battle.

In Its Own Voice

"Providence but looks upon the water of the commonplace, and behold! it becomes wine of Cana!"

McCarthy reflects in his preface on how divine providence elevates ordinary human life and sacrifice.

"Well might this place be called, at least at that time, the vestibule of hell!"

Describing the cold, fog-drenched conditions of Pontaneuzen Rest Camp after the exhausting march from the docks at Brest.

"In direct ratio as danger and death impended in the gloomy wastes of No Man's Land, all soldiers grew religious and turned instinctively to God."

Summarizing his core observation on how the immediate presence of mortality transformed the spiritual lives of soldiers in the trenches.

What It's Really About

Beneath its narrative of troop movements, military logistics, and battlefield engagements, the book explores the profound intersection of religious faith, moral duty, and human mortality during total war. McCarthy examines how extreme danger strips away superficialities, driving young soldiers to seek spiritual meaning and divine comfort in the face of death. The narrative presents selfless service—whether by frontline chaplains, medical personnel, or comrades in arms—as the ultimate expression of Christian love. Furthermore, it highlights the shared humanity and spiritual bonds that unite American soldiers with the French civilians they came to assist, demonstrating how faith and compassion endure even amid widespread destruction.

Why Read It Today

This memoir offers readers an authentic, deeply personal window into the daily life and spiritual burden of a World War I military chaplain. McCarthy writes with a formal, early 20th-century eloquence that reflects both his priestly vocation and the patriotic sentiment of his era. While modern readers may notice period-specific idealism and dramatic prose, the text remains grounded in genuine human observation and physical reality.

What stays with the reader is the vivid depiction of quiet bravery: a priest riding horseback across an open plain under sniper fire to offer Mass, villagers placing fresh flowers on the graves of foreign soldiers, and men finding quiet prayer in muddy foxholes. For those interested in military history, personal war narratives, or spiritual memoirs, McCarthy's account provides a moving record of duty, faith, and human connection maintained amidst the devastation of the Western Front.