Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers NM

The Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument commemorates the life of Charles Young (1864-1922), an escaped slave who rose to become a Buffalo Soldier in the US Army and its first African-American colonel. Born into slavery in Kentucky in 1864, he escaped to Ohio with his family as a child. He attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated valedictorian of his class in 1888. He served with distinction in various postings throughout his career, including as military attaché to Liberia from 1897 to 1904. Young retired from the Army in 1917, but rejoined during WWI and attained the rank of colonel. The Monument consists of Colonel Young's House and adjoining 3 acres of land.