"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 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. 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 attachE, 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.
Brian G. Shellum is a senior intelligence analyst with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization with the U.S. Department of Defense. He is the author of Black Cadet in a White Bastion: Charles Young at West Point, available in a Bison Books edition.
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 Attache in Hispaniola Chapter 10: Garrison Duty in the Philippines and Wyoming Chapter 11: Military Assistance Mission in Liberia Chapter 12: Chasing Villa in Mexico Chapter 13: Retirement to Ohio Chapter 14: Final Post in Liberia Epilogue: Coming Home Notes Bibliography Index
A historical biography detailing the military career of Charles Young, the highest-ranking African-American officer in the Regular Army until his death in 1922
"During a long and distinguished career---from being the first African-American captain in the regular army and first to be in charge of a national park, to serving in the Philippines, chasing Pancho Villa in Mexico, and representing the United States in Liberia---Charles Young succeeded in spite of the Jim Crow prejudices permeating the American military of his time. His is a remarkable and inspiring story, though often overlooked. In this well-researched book, Brian Shellum finally gives Young the historical attention he deserves." Dayton Duncan, author of The National Parks: America's Best Idea "Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment is more than just another military biography. As only the third African American to graduate from West Point, Charles Young belonged to an army that did not want him. Every day of his professional life brought challenges, slights, and hardships that never confronted the white officers who served beside him. With quiet dignity and determination, Young skilfully negotiated incredible obstacles to reach the rank of colonel. Brian G. Shellum has succeeded in capturing Young's courage and the shameful milieu of America's Jim Crow army." Gregory J. W. Urwin, editor of Black Flag over Dixie: Racial Atrocities and Reprisals in the Civil War "Extensively researched and clearly written, Black Officer in a Buffalo Soldier Regiment places Charles Young back where he belongs, among the important figures of African Americans during the Progressive Era. Shellum's account should be read by anybody interested in understanding how a black Army officer could not only survive, but prosper in the Jim Crow-era military." Mark Benbow, former resident historian of the Woodrow Wilson House "Shellum has written a careful, concise, thoughtful, and easily read volume on the life story of Colonel Charles Young... Using solid research and little-used documentary sources, Shellum brings into sharp focus a man and officer of whom too little is known, and not near enough is remembered. There is enough in Young's life to fuel a dozen shows on the History Channel and be the subject of a decade of African American Heritage Months." William W. Gwaltney, former president of the Association of African American Museums "Brian Shellum traces the development, experiences, and extraordinary accomplishments of a pioneering black officer who broke through one racial barrier after another in the decades straddling the turn of the twentieth century. The author follows Charles Young on his far-flung adventures with the Buffalo Soldiers on the Great Plains and in Sequoia National Park, leading his troopers in combat in the Philippines and Mexico, and his service in Haiti and Liberia as the first African American military attache. Shellum places in the context of his times a leader who came to epitomize African American manhood. In so doing the author reveals a true hero to his country and his race." Floyd Thomas, curator at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
