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: Upset by the medical ruling that had sidelined him during wartime, Young had spent a year writing to the War Department. “I feel as physically fit as I did during the hard work in Mexico,” he stated. “To help in the Country’s service is my sole motive.” On Saturday, June 8, 1918, Colonel Charles Young rode his horse 38 miles. Passing through Lancaster, he stuck to the roads currently marked as U.S. Routes 22 and 33. He stopped in Logan hoping that the small African American community could provide a meal and comfortable accommodation for the night.
Sponsors: Ohio Department of Transportation, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, The Ohio History Connection
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