Young's Scouts was a select group of

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

soldiers during the Philippine–American War organized under a

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

civilian named William Henry Young. YoungsScouts

Unit history

Because of his previous experience as a soldier and soldier of fortune and his demonstrated coolness under fire, Young came to the notice of General

Henry W. Lawton Henry Ware Lawton (March 17, 1843 – December 19, 1899) was a U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the Civil War, the Apache Wars, and the Spanish–American War. He was the only U.S. general officer to be killed during the Philip ...

, who hired Young as his Chief Scout during Lawton's Northern Campaign. Young had served with the Army in the

Nez Perce War The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the ''Palouse'' tribe led by Red Echo (''Hahtalekin'') and ...

, prospected for gold in California and Montana and worked as a soldier of fortune and mine supervisor in Korea and China. He made his way to the Philippines to prospect for gold.
/ref> Young's Scouts acted as an advance guard and engaged in search and destroy missions. The exploits and valor of Young's Scouts soon brought them to the attention of the American public. Members of Young's Scouts came from several units in Lawton's command, including the 1st North Dakota Volunteers, the 2nd Oregon Volunteers, and the

4th U.S. Cavalry The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment ex ...

(dismounted). Although the original unit was composed of 25 men, Scouts came and went as casualties and sickness took their toll. In two different engagements a number of Scouts were recommended for the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

, which at the time was the only Army award for valor. On May 14, 1899, William Young was wounded in the knee in an engagement at

San Miguel de Mayumo San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel ( tgl, Bayan ng San Miguel), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 172,073 people. It is the third larg ...

with what was described as a minor wound. He was conveyed to the 1st Reserve Hospital in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

with a request by Lawton that he receive the best of care. Ironically, although the initial assessment of Young's wound was that he would probably end up with nothing more serious than a stiff knee, he died a few days later, presumably of

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

. Young's Scouts continued to operate under several different officers for the remainder of Lawton's Northern Campaign.

Gallery

Image:lyonsRobertson.jpg,

recipients Edward E. Lyon on left and Marcus W. Robertson on the right in

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

Image:marcuswrobertson.jpg, Marcus W. Robertson in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, picture taken en route to

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Medal of Honor recipients

* Captain William Edward Birkhimer (commander). Birkhimer later retired as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

Frank LaFayette Anders, who became a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and historian * Private Otto Boehler *Private Charles P. Davis *Private Willis H. Downs *Private Frank Charles High *Private

Gotfred Jensen Gotfred Jensen (November 20, 1872 in Denmark – December 26, 1945) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine–American War. He was a member of Young's Scouts and was one of thirteen Scou ...

Jensen later retired as a Sergeant *Private John Baxter Kinne *Private Richard Moses Longfellow *Private Edward Eugene Lyon *Private Peter H. Quinn *Private Marcus William Robertson *Private Frank Fulton Ross *Private

Thomas Sletteland Thomas Sletteland was born in Bergen, Norway, on the 18th of February, 1872, and enlisted in the United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It ...

References

Sources

Soldiers In The Sun ............. San Isidro, Luzon, Philippine Islands, May 6, 1899Dakota Datebook May 14, 2004 "Philippine–American War"

Unit history

Gallery

Medal of Honor recipients

References

Sources

Further reading