412 pages
February 2010
978-0-8032-3022-4
$21.95 Add to CartFebruary 2010
978-0-8032-6803-6
$21.95 Add to Cart"A valuable read for anyone with an interest in the final years of the frontier Army, American imperialism, African-Americans in military service, and American military history in general."—A.A. Nofi, Strategypage.com
An unheralded military hero, Charles Young (1864–1922) was the third black graduate of West Point, the first African American national park superintendent, the first black U.S. military attaché, the first African American officer to command a Regular Army regiment, and the highest-ranking black officer in the Regular Army until his death. Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment tells the story of the man who—willingly or not—served as a standard-bearer for his race in the officer corps for nearly thirty years, and who, if not for racial prejudice, would have become the first African American general.
Brian G. Shellum describes how, during his remarkable army career, Young was shuffled among the few assignments deemed suitable for a black officer in a white man’s army—the Buffalo Soldier regiments, an African American college, and diplomatic posts in black republics such as Liberia. Nonetheless, he used his experience to establish himself as an exceptional cavalry officer. He was a colonel on the eve of the United States’ entry into World War I, when serious medical problems and racial intolerance denied him command and ended his career.
Shellum’s book seeks to restore a hero to the ranks of military history; at the same time, it informs our understanding of the role of race in the history of the American military.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Chapter 1: Awaiting Orders
Chapter 2: First Posting to Fort Robinson
Chapter 3: New Start at Fort Duchesne
Chapter 4: Military Instructor at Wilberforce
Chapter 5: Volunteer Officer in the Spanish-American War
Chapter 6: Return to Fort Duchesne
Chapter 7: Fighting Guerillas in the Philippines
Chapter 8: Troop Commander in San Francisco and Sequoia
Chapter 9: Military Attaché in HispaniolaChapter 10: Garrison Duty in the Philippines and Wyoming
Chapter 11: Military Assistance Mission in LiberiaChapter 12: Chasing Villa in Mexico
Chapter 13: Retirement to Ohio
Chapter 14: Final Post in Liberia
Epilogue: Coming Home
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Army Historical Foundation's 2010 Distinguished Writing Award, finalist, biography category