Side A: In 1918, Charles Young made a desperate attempt to convince the U.S. Army that he was fit for duty. The Army’s highest-ranking Black officer, he had been medically retired and not given a command during World War I. To demonstrate his fitness, he rode 497 miles from his home in Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. Leaving on June 6 he made the journey in 17 days, 16 on horseback and 1 resting. Averaging 31 miles each day, he rode 45 minutes and walked 15 minutes every hour. Upon his arrival, Young met with Secretary of War Newton Baker. Pressured by the Black press and the White House, Baker hedged. He recalled Young to active duty a year later and assigned him to Camp Grant, Illinois, just five days before the end of the war.
Side B: “The sole thing that I am contending for now is to aid in my country’s service,” Young wrote shortly before starting his ride. “I feel able to work and should be put to it, that is all.” On Sunday, June 9, 1918, Young covered 27 miles riding and walking U.S. Route 33. He stopped in Athens, a town where he was likely to find lodging for the night. His travels the next day would take him out of Ohio and into West Virginia, buoyed onward by the hope of a fair hearing.
Sponsors: Ohio Department of Transportation, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, The Ohio History Connection
