Colonel William C. Young
Newcastle, Young County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1812-1862) Tennessee lawyer, U.S. Marshall, frontier Texas Ranger, Annexation Convention member 1845, colonel Mexican War. During Civil War, raised and commanded 11th Texas Cavalry. Secured safety of northern Texas through capture of Forts Cobb, Washita and Arbuckle and negotiations with Comanches, Kiowas and Chickasaws. Fought Battle Chustenalah. Murdered in Red River cane "brakes" by renegades for testimony in Gainesville hanging. (Erected by the State of Texas 1963.)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William C. Young packed several frontier careers into a short life — Tennessee lawyer, U.S. marshal, Texas Ranger, delegate to the 1845 Annexation Convention, and a colonel in the war with Mexico. During the Civil War he raised and led the 11th Texas Cavalry, helping secure North Texas by capturing Forts Cobb, Washita, and Arbuckle and negotiating with the Comanches, Kiowas, and Chickasaws. He was murdered in 1862 in the Red River cane brakes by renegades in reprisal for his testimony tied to the Gainesville hangings.
Why it matters
Young's violent end during the Great Hanging at Gainesville lays bare the bitter internal warfare that tore at Confederate Texas, where loyalty was enforced by rope and ambush.
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Related people
- · William C. Young
Related events
- · Great Hanging at Gainesville
- · Battle of Chustenahlah
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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