Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument ⓘ

Early in his career in 1894, Charles Young received a detached service assignment as an instructor of military science and tactics at Wilberforce University. He developed the curriculum and served as a role model for the young men in the program. In 1907, the Young's purchased a large house about a mile from the campus which he later named "Youngsholm." The house was built in 1839 and was once used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Young's residence quickly became the social hub for friends, university colleagues and even strangers alike. Frequent and notable visitors from around the area often visited the house. Although his military career took him across the globe, Young considered "Youngsholm" his sanctuary where he raised a family, mentored a successive generation of leaders, and found intellectual refuge. Even after his untimely death, "Youngsholm" would remain in the Young family for over another half century.

Currently, Youngsholm serves as the face of the nation's 401st National Park Service site. Visit the Hours of Operation page for information on when the park is open for visitation. For up-to-date information on park events, visit our Schedule of Events website . You can also call the park at 937-352-6757 or send an email .

- W.E.B. DuBois As a soldier, diplomat, and civil rights leader, Charles Young overcame stifling inequality to become a leading figure in the years after the Civil War when the United States emerged as a world power. His work ethic, academic leadership, and devotion to duty provided a strong base for his achievements in the face of racism and oppression. His long and distinguished career as a commissioned officer in the United States Army made him a popular figure of his time and a role model for generations of new leaders. View the short, ten minute park introductory film that chronicles the life of General Charles Young. Use the drop-down in-page navigation below to learn more about specific periods of Charles Young's life or feel free to scroll down this page to read through the entire chronology.

Young was born to enslaved parents, Gabriel & Arminta Young, on March 12 th , 1864 in May's Lick, Kentucky. That same year his father escaped enslavement and in February 1865 joined the 5th Regiment, U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. Sometime after Gabriel's enlistment, young Charles and his parents relocated from Kentucky to across the river in Ripley, Ohio, seeking a new life in the river town which just happened to be the center of abolitionism. Charles flourished in Ripley in academics, foreign languages and in music. His public education was supplemented with generous amounts of help from his mother who was educated while she was a slave, a rarity for any slave during those times. At age 17 he graduated with academic honors from the integrated high school in 1881. After high school, Young taught at the African-American elementary school in Ripley for two years. He would continue to chase his thirst for knowledge and education while under the guidance and mentoring of renowned African-American abolitionist John Parker. Return to Quicklinks / Top

In 1883, Charles Young's father encouraged him to take the entrance examination to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Young scored the second highest on the exam and was not selected to the Academy that year. When the candidate ahead of him dropped out of West Point, Young would receive his opportunity the following year. He entered West Point on June 10, 1884 to become only the ninth African American to attend the Academy and only the third to graduate. The other two African-American graduates, Henry Ossian Flipper (1877) & John Hanks Alexander (1887), would earn their commissions but would only see short careers in the Army. Flipper would be drummed out of the Army over controversial and questionable charges of "...conduct unbecoming an officer..." In the mid-1990's, his descendants began a campaign to restore his name and clear his legacy of these charges. On February 19, 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton pardoned Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper of those charges. Lieutenant John Hanks Alexander would be a classmate of Charles Young at West Point and they would serve together at Ft. Duquesne, Utah for a few years before Alexander would leave to become a professor at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Young would be dispatched to Wilberforce shortly after Alexander died of a sudden heart condition in 1894.

As a cadet, Young encountered the same racial insults and social isolation from instructors and other cadets on a daily basis as those before him. Despite these indignities, he would persevere. After a dreadful first academic year, Young was faced with repeating his first year, or Plebe year, in order to continue his education. He would do so and did well over the next four academic years. Faced with a failing grade in an engineering class during his last semester, Young received tutoring from his instructor and was allowed to re-take the exam. This time, Young passed and was awarded his diploma and commission in the summer of 1889. Return to Quicklinks / Top

Because military leaders would not allow an African-American officer to command white troops, the Adjutant General's Office waited three months after Young's West Point graduation in 1889 before assigning the newly-commissioned 2nd Lieutenant to the 9th Cavalry at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. After a year, marked by isolation and hostility, Young transferred to Fort Duchesne, Utah, where the command and fellow officers proved more welcoming. Here, Young mentored Sergeant Major Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. who later became the first African American to attain the rank of General. Between 1889 and 1907 Young served in the 9th Cavalry at western posts and rose to the rank of captain. He also taught military science, served as a military attaché, and fought with distinction in the Phillipine-American War, winning the praise of his commanders for his troops' courage and professionalism in and out of combat. Return to Quicklinks / Top

In the fall of 1894, Charles Young received a detached service assignment that wound up sending him to Wilberforce, Ohio. Young was to take over the planning and eventual teaching of the new Military Sciences & Tactics courses at Wilberforce University. The original choice to fill this teaching position, Lieutenant John Hanks Alexander, died suddenly in Springfield, Ohio on March 26th and Lieutenant Young was dispatched to take up for Alexander. Lieutenants Alexander and Young had roomed together for a few years while at the West Point Military Academy and they also served at Fort Duchesne, Utah together for some time, so Young was no stranger to Alexander. Eventually, Lieutenant Young would build the program to just over 100 cadets by the 1898 class. Additionally, Young also helped establish the Wilberforce University marching band. Music played an integral part of Young's life, so it was no wonder that he enthusiastically helped to create the university marching band since he had helped to teach and direct the band at his previous duty station in Fort Duchense. Lieutenant Young remained at Wilberforce as a professor until early 1898 when the war with Spain had begun with the infamous sinking of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Cuba. While Young did not re-join his troopers of the 9th Cavalry, he did wind up being appointed as Major and commander of the Ninth Ohio Battalion, U.S. Volunteers.

Lieutenant Charles Young became one of the distinguished professors at the university around the turn of the century, which included W.E.B. DuBois who would become a close life-long friend of Charles Young. By April of 1898, Young would be on the move away from Wilberforce as he mustered up and trained men for potential combat action in Cuba. However, Young had established himself at the university and in the city of Wilberforce and he frequently returned between his duty stations & assignments to visit and to purchase properties that he would call "home" for the rest of his life. Return to Quicklinks / Top

In the summer of 1903, Captain Charles Young would become the first African-American national park Superintendent when he and his troops were tasked to manage and maintain Sequoia National Park in northern California. Because the U.S. Army was tasked with protecting the national parks in these early years, the Army would send troops to manage, maintain and patrol them. Young and his troopers arrived in Sequoia National Park in the summer of 1903 and proceeded to construct roads and trails that other troops were unable to do in the years before them. As the leader of his troops, Young would inherit the title of Acting Superintendent of Sequoia National Park that year. He incorporated the local townsfolk to assist his troop's efforts and he and his troops' accomplishments from their summer of hard work were lauded by many throughout the area.

Learn more about Charles Young's short, but profound, tenure as a national park Superintendent by visiting the Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park website. Return to Quicklinks / Top

In 1904 Captain Young became the first Military Attaché to Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. Young joined 23 other officers (the only African American among them) serving in these diplomatic posts in the Theodore Roosevelt administration. He won President Roosevelt's praise through an introduction Roosevelt wrote for his monograph on the people and customs of Hispaniola. Young's experiences in foreign service and as a commander in the Philippines formed the basis of his book, The Military Morale of Nations and Races (1911) .

From 1912 to 1916, he served as the military attaché to Liberia, helping to train the Liberian Frontier Force. After returning from Liberia, he then served as a squadron commander during the Punitive Expedition in Mexico against Pancho Villa. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Agua Caliente, leading his men to the aid of a cavalry unit that had been ambushed. During the same period, Young won additional promotions, to major in 1912, and to lieutenant colonel in 1916. Return to Quicklinks / Top

In July 1917, Young was medically retired and promoted to colonel in recognition of his distinguished Army service. Young and his supporters asked for reconsideration of his retirement. To demonstrate his fitness to serve, Young, then 54, made a historic 500-mile horseback ride from Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. Afterwards, the Secretary of War gave Young an informal hearing, but did not reverse the decision.

Though medically retired, Young was retained on a list of active duty officers. During World War I, the War Department sent him back to Ohio to help muster and train African-American recruits for the war. Days before the November 11 th , 1918 armistice, Young was assigned to Camp Grant (Illinois) to train black servicemen. Shortly thereafter, at the request of the State Department, Colonel Young was sent once more to serve as military attaché to Liberia, arriving in Monrovia, February 1920. While on a visit to Nigeria in late 1921 he became gravely ill and died at the British hospital in Lagos on January 8 th , 1922. Due to British law, Young's body was buried in Lagos, Nigeria for one year before it could be repatriated to the United States for final interment.

In the year after his death, Young's wife and many other notable African Americans lobbied the U.S. to repatriate Young's remains from Nigeria so he could receive a proper burial in American soil. One year later, Young's body was exhumed and transported back to the U.S. After arriving back in the U.S. in New York City in late May of 1923, Young's body received a hero's welcome. Thousands upon thousands celebrated Young's life as he made his way to the Washington, D.C. area. On June 1 st , 1923, Colonel Charles Young became the fourth soldier honored with a funeral service at Arlington Memorial Amphitheater before burial in Arlington National Cemetery. After the memorial service, he was buried alongside the thousands of other heroes in Arlington National Cemetery. On November 1, 2021, Charles Young was honorably and posthumously promoted to Brigadier General.

General Charles Young's tomb is located in Section 3, Grave 1730-B, not far from where his memorial service took place in the Arlington Memorial Ampitheater. Take a virtual visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to see the final resting place of General Charles Young and others who sacrificed all for our country. Arlington National Cemetery, located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is the revered site where many of our Nation's heros have been laid to rest. Learn more about the beginnings of Arlington National Cemetery when you visit the National Park Service's Arlington House, Robert E. Lee Memorial webpage.

From the wild Alaskan wilderness, to the lava-flowing fields of Hawaii, to the giant sequoias of northern California, the legacy and story of the Buffalo Soldiers extends well beyond the dusty plains of the western frontier. Since the inception of the segregated Army units of African American soldiers in 1866, the Buffalo Soldiers served in various parts of the United States in various roles. Their myriad duties included protecting travelers in the desert southwest, bringing law and order to the gold rush region of Alaska and fulfilling the roles of the first park rangers in the country's national parks. Many of these duties were carried out in places that are now commemorated as National Park Service sites. Althought the story of the Buffalo Soldiers officially ended in 1951 when the Army desegregated, their legacy lives on in the parks that bear their history. Here, we present some of these rich stories from various national parks that are rooted in the Buffalo Soldiers lore. Scroll down to discover these amazing stories and read about the national parks that these men cemented their legacy in.

Every year, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument recognizes distinguished individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service and committment to our community, leadership, and youth. Here, we proudly post their individual biographies so that visitors can get to know these incredible community leaders.

Dr. Andrew A. Ray was born in Centreville, Mississippi. He began his formal education in a two-room school and completed his elementary and secondary education in the New Orleans, Louisiana Public School System. Dr. Ray achieved academic distinction by winning bronze and silver medals in statewide competitions while graduating in the top 20 in a class of 395. His post-secondary education includes a Bachelors Degree in Economics, three Masters Degrees and a PhD. He has demonstrated a life-long commitment to learning through his study and internship at 13 colleges and Universities that include Yale, American University, Loyola, Wisconsin, University of Ghana (West Africa) and the University of California. Dr. Ray had the privilege of being selected as a Foreign Affairs Scholar in the Department of State and a Presidential Fellow in the United States Congress - Washington, DC. His professional experiences include work in Industry, Education, Community and Government Service. His extensive honors include:

Mr. Sloan Toussaint Baptiste was born in Newark, New Jersey to immigrant parents from Haiti. He graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey and then went on to attend Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he studied Economics and Africana Studies. While at Rutgers University he walked-on the Men's Basketball Team. As a scholar-athlete Sloan created a tutoring program which helped improve the overall team G.P.A. and raised the graduation rate. Graduating with honors Sloan was also a Ronald E. McNair scholar as well as a Elie Weisel Scholarship Reciepient and member of Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity, Inc. Immediately after graduating Sloan Baptiste went to Germany to play overseas basketball after one season he returned back to New Jersey and started his career as a coach and trainer. In 2009 he moved to Hollywood, California where he now trains entertainers and professional athletes at Floyd Mayweathers Boxing Gym as a lead instructor. Aside from training Sloan works as a stunt actor and has numerous film credits, he is also involved in theater and is presently working on the Haitian Revolution where he will be portraying the iconic role of General Toussaint L'Ouverture. His passion for history has allowed him to develop innovative ways to celebrate many forgotten world figures. His family and friends know him as Sloan but he wants to be remembered as 'Show Biz The Edu-Tainer/Actor-Vist & Math-Lete.' Back to Top

A descendant of his Great Grand-Father Penfield Chaplin Jr., Army World War One Veteran, and driven by a penchant for excellence, Brother Coleman is a 1987 Distinguished Military Graduate from South Carolina State University. He was initiated through Xi Psi Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. on April 25 th , 1985. Brother Coleman received a commission in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer, where he has served in multiple leadership, command, and staff positions at various levels. He is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a proud recipient of the Bronze Star Medal while serving with the 1 st Battalion (Mechanized), 8 th Infantry Regiment (Fighting Eagles), 4 th Infantry Division. Brother Coleman is a US Army Colonel (Retired) with 30 years of faithful and dedicated service to his country. He is a graduate of the prestigious United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. Brother Coleman earned numerous awards and decorations to include the Legion of Merit and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal during his distinguished military career. Brother Coleman has unconditionally served the Fraternity as a financial member in 16 different chapters in 8 Districts. He has faithfully served in numerous leadership positions in both undergraduate and graduate chapters. Brother Coleman is a former member of the Supreme Council and the Eighth 13 th International District Representative overseeing chapters on four different continents. He also chaired and served as a member of multiple Chapter, District, and International committees to include: International Achievement Week Committee, International Membership Committee, International Scholarship Committee, and International Talent Hunt Committee. Brother Coleman currently serves as Vice Chairman, International Membership Committee and Chairman, International Military Affairs Sub-committee. Brother Coleman’s impeccable reputation and contributions resulted in multiple Chapter, District and International level awards to include: Omega Man of the Year, Colonel Charles Young Military Leadership Award, The Founders Award, Supreme Council Distinguished Service Award, and he is the first recipient of the 13 th District Charlie Banks III Exemplar Award. These accolades exemplify his unwavering commitment to simultaneously balancing his passion and dedication for military and community service. Brother Coleman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science - Public Administration and Masters of Sciences in both Human Resources Management and Strategic Studies. He is married to Colonel (Retired) Cheryl A. Harris and he has three wonderful daughters, with one currently serving in uniform as a First Lieutenant in the 82 nd Airborne Division. Back to Top

African Americans served in the U.S. Military during the Civil War and continued to serve afterwards. Many of these soldiers went on to fight in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Although the pay was low, only $13 a month, many African Americans enlisted because they could earn more and be treated with more dignity than they often received in civilian life.

In 1866, Congress established six all-black regiments (consolidated to four shortly after) to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to fight on the Western frontier during the Plains Wars. It was from one of these regiments, the 10th Cavalry, that the nickname Buffalo Soldier was born. American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866.

In addition to their military duties, the Buffalo Soldiers also served as some of the first care takers of the national parks. Between 1891 and 1913, the U.S. Army served as the official administrator of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. The soldiers were stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco during the winter months and then served in the Sierra during the summer months. While in the parks, soldier's duties included fighting wildfire, curbing poaching of the park's wildlife, ending illegal grazing of livestock on federal lands, and constructing roads, trail and other infrastructure. In 1903, Captain Charles Young led a company of Buffalo Soldiers in Sequoia and General Grant (now Sequoia and King's Canyon ) National Parks. Young and his troops managed to complete more infrastructure improvements than those from the previous three years. They completed a road to the Giant Forest and a road to the base of Moro Rock. Their work on these new roads now allowed the public to access the mountain-top forest for the first time.

The Buffalo Soldier regiments went on to serve the U.S. Army with distinction and honor for nearly the next nine decades. The storied Buffalo Soldiers regiments came to an end during the Korean War and the institution of Executive Order 9981. Here we present the individual stories of the Buffalo Soldiers sorted by the regiments in which the men served. Choose a regiment from those pictured and listed below to view their stories.

March 25 th , 2013, the date which officially established the long-awaited Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument when President Barack Obama signed the document creating the nation's 401 st NPS site. However, the work that went in to reaching the monumental achievement began long before March 25 th , 2013 and incorporated myriad people and organizations who believed that this true American hero's story should be known to all and cherished forever.

Two of the biggest supporters of the legacy of Charles Young, Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC), went to great lengths and expenses to ensure that the house of Colonel Charles Young would remain intact and presentable in the hopes of becoming the centerpiece of a national park. The commitment, dedication and resolve that these organizations and the countless number of people who supported the Young legacy, culminated on Monday, March 25 th , 2013 as President Barack Obama utilized the powers given to him under the 1906 Antiquities Act and signed the proclamation establishing Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. The proclamation set aside nearly 60 acres of land that includes the former home of Colonel Young. The house, more affectionately known as "Youngsholm" also serves as the current face of the newest national park addition. As the development of this new site progresses, the National Park Service looks forward to working with Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the NAAMCC, the Colonel Charles Young Foundation and all other partners and friends to maximize the growth of the park. Learn more about the People and the Places which make up the park.