Charles Young, U.S. Army

Hero Card 61, Card Pack 6
Photo credit: Digital Public Library of America, Colonel Charles Young, Du Bois, W. E. B.

Hometown: Ripley, OH
Branch: U.S. Army 
Unit: I Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment; 10th Cavalry Regiment “Buffalo Soldiers”
Date of Sacrifice: January 8, 1922 - in Lagos, Nigeria 
Age: 57 
Conflict: Philippine-American War, 1899-1902

Charles Young’s story is an inspiring account of facing obstacles, and a lifetime of unwavering dedication to the American cause of liberty. Young was born into slavery during the Civil War (1861-1865) to Gabriel and Arminta Young on March 12, 1864, in May’s Lick, in northern Kentucky.

Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued a year earlier, the battle for freedom had not yet been won. The young nation was torn in half over the issue of slavery, and the Civil War’s human cost was of a magnitude not seen in any other American conflict before or since. Military deaths alone are estimated at 620,000.

For the Young family emancipation was tantalizingly nearby, as they lived in the border state of Kentucky—just 12 miles south of the Ohio River and the free state of Ohio. The circumstances of their escape to freedom are unknown. At some point during the War, Gabriel and Arminta made their way to Ohio, where Gabriel enlisted in the Union Army. His service in the 5th U.S. Army Regiment was a particular point of pride, as he could be personally involved in striking a blow against the institution of slavery.

After emancipation

In post-war Kentucky, there were few opportunities beyond life as a sharecropper, and the Youngs eventually settled north of the Ohio river in the town of Ripley—in pursuit of the best education for their son Charles. Charles demonstrated a hunger for knowledge, which was satisfied through Ripley’s high-quality schools, strong mentoring from his parents, and their friendship with the abolitionist John Parker.

As a student, Charles demonstrated a rare ability to learn foreign languages, becoming fluent in both French and German. He also showed an aptitude for music, played several instruments, and gained recognition as a composer. After graduating, Charles Young spent four years teaching in Ripley schools.

In 1883, Young was sponsored by Congressman Alphonso Hart to take the exam for an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Despite the difficulties of integration and prejudice of the post-war era, Young graduated from the prestigious academy with the class of 1889, receiving a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. 

In the years immediately after the Civil War, acceptance of black soldiers was slow and opportunities for black officers were limited: Command of one of the all-black regiments, instructing black officer candidates, or serving as a military attaché in either Africa or the Caribbean. The U.S. armed services were racially segregated until 1948 when President Harry S. Truman began the process of integration with an executive order. 

Military career

Following his graduation from West Point in 1889, Young was assigned to the all-black 9th Cavalry in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Fort Robinson was on the edge of Cheyenne and Sioux reservation lands during a time when the U.S. Army’s role was to secure land for westward expansion.

The all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were given the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” by American Plains Indian tribes who thought the men’s dark curly hair resembled a buffalo’s coat.

Promotions and command opportunities were slow in coming to Lt. Young, despite his clear leadership abilities. After ten months at Fort Robinson, Young and some of the troops at his command were sent to the more isolated Fort Duchesne, Utah, where he was finally allowed to lead in the field as an officer from 1890-1894.

In 1894, Young was assigned to lead a new military sciences department at the all-black Wilberforce College in his home state of Ohio. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Young was temporarily promoted to the rank of Major, and given command of the 9th Battalion of the Ohio National Guard. This promotion marked the first time a black man was chosen to lead a sizeable unit within the U.S. Army. 

From 1899 to 1901, Charles Young returned to the Regular Army, serving a second time at Fort Duchesne, Utah, and was returned at the rank of 1st Lieutenant. By the end of this assignment, Young was promoted to the rank of Captain and ordered to proceed to the Presidio in San Francisco in preparation for deployment to the Philippines.

No longer considered a junior officer, Young would, at last, have the chance to prove his ability to lead troops in combat. Leading some 100 men of I Troop on Samar Island, Young distinguished himself by not losing a single soldier despite numerous firefights in close quarters through thick inland vegetation.

Captain Young led troops in the Philippine Islands on two separate occasions: 1901-1902 and 1908-1909. He was able to establish a peaceful encampment for native Filipinos at Blanca Aurora on Samar Island, which caught the notice of General Robert Patterson Hughes. Hughes noted that Captain Young was able to accomplish in three months what others in charge could not do in three years.

National Parks Superintendent

 After distinguishing themselves in the Philippines, the soldiers of I Troop were rewarded with an assignment to the Presidio in San Francisco—considered to be one of the most desirable military locations in the United States.

In 1903, Young was named acting Superintendent of both Sequoia and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks. At that time, the military supervised all National Parks. His 9th Cavalry troops were tasked with patrolling and protecting boundaries from poachers and sheepherders to preserve the parks’ natural resources. 

During his assignment there, Young supervised the construction of roads that allowed visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the parks including the Giant Forest, home of the largest trees in the world. Charles Young was the first black superintendent of a National Park.

Other assignments

When the Army established a Military Intelligence Department in 1904, Young was appointed as Military Attaché at Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo City by President Theodore Roosevelt. Young’s professionalism and fluency in French made him an ideal choice for duty on the French-speaking Haitian side of the island of Hispaniola. Young also served as a military attaché to Liberia in Monrovia.

Young’s career took him to military and government installations throughout the U.S., the Caribbean, and Africa. He served with the 10th Cavalry in pursuit of Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco “Poncho” Villa and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Forced retirement and protest ride

In May of 1917, Young was promoted to the rank of Colonel. The promotion meant he would likely be a top commander of black troops fighting in Europe in World War I (1914-1918). In July of that same year, citing “poor health,” the Army instead forced Colonel Young into retirement from active duty.

Eager to serve his country in a time of war, Young wrote letters pleading his case to the Department of War. Despite public opinion being with Colonel Young, President Woodrow Wilson refused his request to serve in WWI.

Colonel Young had many supporters and received a glowing recommendation from ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, based on their shared experiences in the Spanish-American War. After a year of letter-writing and constant effort, Young decided to mount his horse and ride from his Ohio home to meet in person with Secretary of War Newton Baker. 

Determined to prove that he was in peak health, Charles Young covered nearly 500 miles on horseback over the course of 16 days. He was often recognized in towns along the way. But his protest didn’t change the minds of Army leadership or of President Wilson’s administration.

Final assignment 

In 1919, Colonel Young was recalled to active duty as a military attaché to Liberia, stationed in the capital city of Monrovia. The War Department also tasked him with intelligence gathering in other parts of Africa.

In November of 1921, Colonel Young’s duties took him on a reconnaissance mission to Lagos, Nigeria. There he succumbed to kidney disease and died at the age of 57 on January 8, 1922. Charles Young dedicated his entire life to the service of the country he loved—despite decades of struggles transitioning from slavery to true freedom.

The Army returned Colonel Young’s body to the United States, where on June 1, 1923, he was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Young’s gravesite can be found in Section 3, Lot 1730. 

In 2022, a full century after his death, Charles Young was posthumously promoted to the rank of honorary Brigadier General.