Young was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to John Young Jr. and Hannah Scott Young. He was educated at Jefferson College (now
Washington & Jefferson College) and married Margaret McFadden in 1861. On the outbreak of the
Civil War, he joined the
12th Pennsylvania Infantry in April 1861 as a private. After the expiration of his term he was commissioned
captain,
4th Pennsylvania Cavalry in September. He served with distinction in the
Army of the Potomac throughout the war, receiving promotion to
major in September 1862, to
lieutenant colonel in October 1864 and to
colonel in December 1864. Young was wounded four times in 1864 and 1865. He served in brigade command in the cavalry corps during the last days of the
Appomattox Campaign. Young served with distinction throughout the
Indian Wars and was regularly promoted (to
major in 1883 and to lieutenant colonel in 1892), rising to the rank of colonel of the
3rd Cavalry in 1897. On the commencement of hostilities with Spain, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers in May 1898. In Cuba during the war, he commanded one of two cavalry brigades that were part of the Cavalry Division under Major General
Joseph Wheeler. Young's brigade included
Theodore Roosevelt's
Rough Riders, the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. In July 1898, after the American victory of the
Battle of San Juan Hill, Young assumed command of the Wheeler's Cavalry Division and was made
major general of volunteers while he commanded that same
division in Cuba after the Santiago Campaign of the
Spanish–American War. That same year, Young became a Veteran Companion of the Missouri Commandery of the
Military Order of Foreign Wars. Young was also a companion of the
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, the
Grand Army of the Republic and the
Society of the Army of the Potomac. neighborhood of Washington, D.C. During the
Philippine–American War, he returned to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers and commanded brigades in the Northern Luzon District, of which he was made military governor. From February 1901 to March 1902, he commanded the military district of California from the
Presidio of San Francisco. Under the new General Staff System, he was appointed as the first chief of staff of the General Staff in August 1903, a position he held until retirement in January 1904. He died at his house in
Helena, Montana, and was honored with a state funeral in
Washington, D.C., and was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery. ==Family==