Charles Young - The Buffalo Soldier - The Voice of Black Cincinnati

Learn about Charles Young.

Charles Young, an American soldier and civil rights pioneer, served in the U.S. Army for over 30 years, holding key positions such as military attaché to Liberia, superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and commander of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

Born in 1864 to formerly enslaved parents in Kentucky, Young graduated from West Point in 1889, becoming the third African American to do so. A strong advocate for racial equality, Young became a role model for African Americans nationwide, inspiring generations with leadership and achievements.

Early Life

Charles Young was born under the shadow of slavery in Mayslick, Kentucky, on March 12, 1864. Just two years after the end of the Civil War, a baby boy named Charles Young entered a world wrought with adversity as the son of once-enslaved parents, Gabriel & Arminta Young.

Young’s education journey began in Ripley, Ohio, attending high school. The mother, educated while enslaved, supplemented Young’s education. Graduation from the integrated high school in 1881 occurred at the top of the class.

In 1884, Young was accepted into the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point. Daily encounters with prejudice and injustice from instructors and other cadets challenged Young, who considered quitting after the first year. Young stayed committed to learning, later advising a potential African American cadet that they could expect “a dog’s life there.”

Graduation in 1889 marked a significant milestone, making Young the third African American to achieve this feat. Henry Ossian Flipper and John Hanks Alexander were the first and second African Americans to graduate from West Point, respectively. Both earned commissions, but careers in the Army were unfortunately cut short.

Military Career

The Army assigned Young as a cavalry leader of the Buffalo Soldiers, stationed in Nebraska and Utah in the early 1890s.

In the fall of 1894, Charles Young received a detached service assignment that sent him to Wilberforce University near Dayton, Ohio. Lieutenant Charles Young became a distinguished professor of military science and tactics and met fellow professors W.E.B. DuBois and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, who would become close lifelong friends.

Young served as the post commander at various posts, proceeding Wilberforce. Tasked with training troops who would serve in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars.

More Military Acheivments

At the dawn of the 20th century, the U.S. government appointed Young as the nation’s first black military attaché stationed in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Liberia. This tenure in Africa allowed him to utilize his multi-lingual talents and further his impressive career. While relations between Liberia and the United States were improved at the onset of World War I (WWI), the government promoted Young to major.

After Young finished a first tour as a military attaché in 1915, the promoted to lieutenant colonel and assigned Young to the Tenth Cavalry.

Serving as a squadron commander, in 1916, during the Punitive Expedition in Mexico against Pancho Villa, Young distinguished himself at the Battle of Agua Caliente, recorded as the first time machine guns were used in a coordinated assault, and at Hacienda Santa Cruz de la Villegas riding to the support of the 13^th U.S. Cavalry, an act credited by many historians as preventing a larger war between the United States and Mexico.

Later Life

The U.S. Army ordered Young to retire in 1917, citing medical reasons. However, the order was more due to the unwillingness of white officers to serve under him, a common theme of Young’s time in the military. At the time, Young was the highest-ranking African American in the U.S. Army and one of only three black commissioned officers.

Upon retirement, Young was promoted, becoming the first African American to reach the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army, and placed on the unlimited retired list.

Legacy

Charles Young married Ada Barr in 1903 and had two children, Charles Noel and Marie. Young, an NAACP member, received the 1916 Springarn Medal, an annual honor for exceptional African Americans. Young’s legacy endures as the sole military recipient since its 1915 inception.

Theodore Roosevelt said of Young, “By sheer force of character…overcame prejudices which would have discouraged many a lesser man…He approached life with the single purpose of seeing what he could do for this nation….[What] he has done will remain with us in the country as a constant inspiration and guide of the generations to come.”

Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

In 2013, President Barack Obama established the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, which includes the Colonel Charles Young Museum and the Colonel Charles Young House.

California lawmakers established the Colonel Charles Young Memorial Highway in August 2018 near Sequoia National Park’s entrance, honoring the improvements.

In February 2020, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear posthumously promoted Young to brigadier general in the Kentucky National Guard. The Governer later sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting that the federal government recognize Young’s promotion. In November 2021, Under Secretary of Defense Gilbert Cisnero Jr. approved the honorary promotion.

Today, Brigadier General Charles Young’s legacy remains a shining beacon for those striving for equality and progress.

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Photos from kcaah.org, ohiohistory.org, colonelcharlesyoungfoundation.org, and nps.gov.