Pierce Manning Butler Young | |
---|---|
Born |
Spartanburg, South Carolina |
November 15, 1836
Died | July 6, 1896 New York City |
(aged 59)
Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
Service/branch | Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1861–1865 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | Young's Cavalry Division Young's Cavalry Brigade Cobb's Legion |
Battles/wars | |
Other work | U.S. Congressman |
Pierce Manning Butler Young (November 15, 1836 – July 6, 1896) was a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a post-war politician, diplomat, and four-term United States Congressman from Georgia.
Young was born at Spartanburg, South Carolina. His father, Dr. R. M. Young, was a son of Capt. William Young, a soldier in the American Revolution under George Washington. When Pierce was a small boy, his father moved to Bartow County, Georgia, and enlisted private tutors for his children. At the age of thirteen, Young entered the Georgia Military Institute in Marietta, and graduated in 1856. He subsequently briefly studied law. In 1857, he was appointed to the United States Military Academy, but resigned only two months before graduation due to Georgia's secession.
Returning home in early 1861, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the 1st Georgia Infantry regiment, but declined that commission for the same rank in the artillery. In July, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and was attached to the staff of General Braxton Bragg at Pensacola, Florida. He was at the same time aide-de-camp to Gen. W. H. T. Walker. In July, Young was appointed adjutant of the Georgia Legion, better known as Cobb's Legion, and was promoted to Major in September and to Lieutenant Colonel in November, commanding the cavalry portion of the legion.