Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper
"Buffalo Soldier"

Introduction

On the morning of February, 11, 1978, a mule-drawn wagon, escorted by an honor guard of soldiers, entered Magnolia Cemetery in Thomasville, georgia. The caisson, followed by a riderless horse, carried the flag-draped casket of Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, America's first Black military officer, surveyor, engineer, translator, author and government agent. In remembrance of his contributions and service to America, his remains had been brought from an unmarked grave in Atlanta, where they had lain for forty years, to his Georgia birthplace for reburial with full military honors. This winter day marked the end of a ninety-six year struggle for justice and recognition for a man who, though born a slave, became one of themost important Black Americans of his time. At last, ninety-six years after an unjust dishonorable discharge, the name of Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, "Buffalo Soldier," gentleman, and scholar, was vindicated.

Young Flipper

Henry Ossian Flipper was born a slave on March 21, 1856, in Thomasville, Georgia. He, his younger brother, and his mother, Isabella Burkhalter, were owned by Reverend Reuben Lucky. His father, Festus Flipper, a skilled shoemaker and carriage trimmer, belonged to Ephraim Ponder, who was a slave trader and manufacturer. Festus persuaded his owner to let him purchase Isabella and their sons from Reverend Lucky, and so was able to keep his family together.

The Flippers had three additional sons, all of whom were to make their mark in the world. When Henry was 8 years old, his education began in a woodshed. Here an old slave taught him the alphabet. His textbook was Webster's Blueback Speller. His education came to a temporary halt when Major General Wiolliam Sherman's armies advanced toward Atlanta. The family fled but returned after the surrender of the Confederacy. Flipper's parents prospered and soon hired the wife of a former Confederate captain to tutor their sons. Their greatest ambition was that their sons get an education. Later, all five boys began attending schools operated by the American Missionary Association, then Atlanta University.

First Black Cadet at West Point

In the fall of 1872, Henry learned about a vacancy at the West Point Military Academy; so he submitted his application to the Honorable J.C. Freeman of the Fifth Congressional District of Georgia. He endured much harrassment; but after passing the qualifying examination, Flipper received his appointment on May 25, 1873.

Flipper was the second Negro to gain admission into the Academy. On th e day he entered West Point, he noted, "The impression made upon me by what I saw was certainly not encouraging. The windows were crowded with cadets watching my unpretending passage with as much astonishment and interest as they would have watched Hannibal crossing the Alps. Their words, jeers, etc., were most insulting."

Webster Smith, the only other Black at the Academy, became Flipper's roommate. Flipper, Smith and later a new Negro cadet named Williams, shared quarters the first year. Then Smith and Williams were expelled for failing, leaving Flipper as the only Black cadet.

During Flipper's four years at West Point, most of the cadets were polite but rarely spoke to him except when necessary. Some, however, were rude and insulting as often as they got the chance. Flipper felt that many of the cadets would have treated him as an equal had they not feared reprisal from these few.

In spite of cadets' hostilities, he found that the officers and instructors were helpful and impartial. They assured him that they wanted him to graduate and would do all they could to hlep him obtain his goal. Colonel Emory Upton, Commandant of Cadets, frequently counseled Flipper to remain at West Point and not give up.

In spite of the mistreatment, Flipper never complained to officials, and later complained very little in his book, Colored Cadet at West Point. He wrote, "I want nothing, not even recognition, unless it be freely given, hence have I not forced myself upon my comrades. It would be incompatible with the dignity of a 'cadet and a gentleman.'" Flipper never blamed anyone for discrimination, but continually made excuses for those who treated him unkindly. This was a pattern of conduct which he followed throughout his life.

Flipper's day began at 5 in the morning for reveille and roll call, followed by cleaning, breakfast, marching, exercises, intensive squad drill, classes, evening parade, supper, sentinel duty, and homework. He successfully studied military engineering, ordinance, gunnery, military and constitutional law, calculus, riding, tactice (infantry, artillery, cavalry) and surveying.

In spite of the loneliness and isolation, Flipper survived; and, on June 14, 1877, Henry Ossian Flipper became the first Negro to graduate from West Point Military Academy, ranking fiftieth in a class of seventy-six.

The Academy's first Black graduate received world-wide praise for his achievements. Although he received many telegrams and letters of congratulations, his proudest moment came during the graduation ceremonies. When he was handed his diploma, Flipper received a standing ovation from his classmates and spectators for his four years of dedication and courage. During his speech, Major General John Schofield, West Point's Superintendent, gave a tribute to Flipper's bravery against isolation and exclusion by his classmates. He state, "No white cadet had ever been burdened with the hopes of an entire race on his shoulders. Anyone knows how quietly and bravely this young man - the first of his despised race to graduate from West Point - has borne the difficulties of his position; how for four years he has had to stand apart from his classmates as one with them but not of them..." It was a day of victory for Henry Flipper. He had become the first Black officer in the United States Military Service.

Fort Sill and Fort Elliott

Flipper was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and was assigned to frontier duty with teh all-Black Tenth United States Cavalry at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Indian Territory). Here he was surprised to find that he was readily accepted by the white officers. Captain Nicholas Nolan invited Flipper to board with him and his wife, and eventually became his dearest friend. Miss Mollie Dwyer, Mrs. Nolan's sister, and Flipper also became good friends and often went horseback riding together.

In the early fall of 1879, the Tenth Cavalry was ordered to move to Fort Elliott in the Texas Panhandle. Here Flipper became Post Adjutant. His troop was then ordered back to Fort Sill where Flipper served for four months as Acting Captain of Company G. Since Colonel Benjamin Grierson had established Fort Sill ten years earlier, ponds in the area had filled with water during rainy seasons and become stagnant. Soldiers at the fort became ill and sometimes died with malaria. Lieutenant Flipper was given the job of surveying and supervising the contruction of drainage. Through an ingenious plan, he drained the ponds perfectly, stopping the malaria outbreaks. "Flipper's Ditch" was declared a National Historic Landmark almost a century later on October 27, 1977. Today a large bronze marker commemorates Flipper's Ditch at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Fort Concho and Fort Davis

During the winter of 1879 - 1880, Flipper's unit moved to Fort Concho in San Angelo, Texas. Although his stay at Fort Concho was short, it was a happy one. Just as at Fort Sill, he was accepted and liked by most of the white soldiers. During this time, he helped connect thte military forts in West Texas by wire. In the spring, they were ordered to Fort Davis (a fort established to protect the Overland Trail) for combat duty. Located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, Fort Davis guarded the Trans-Pecos part of this southern route to California.

The Tenth Cavalry and the Ninth Cavalry, both all-Black units, were respectfully called "buffalo soldiers" by the Indians because their hair resembled that of their sacred buffalo. They accepted the title and wore it proudly. The buffalo stood at the top of the Tenth Cavalry's regimental crest.

The Buffalo Soldiers worked and fought, often without proper clothes or food, to help the settlement of the West. They protected the mail and stage coaches, fought Indians, maintained law and order on the Rio Grande border, opened new roads, and mapped the streams and water holes. The Buffalo Soldiers played a big part in making the West safe for pioneers. They became known for a number of heroic acts and for their pride. A true Buffalo Soldier always answered with at least three "sirs:" "Yes sir, Captain sir, it shall be done sir!" Their motto, "Ready and Forward," fit them well, for the Indians respected and feared them.

During the summer of 1880, the two units were involved in the campaign against Victorio and his warriors, tracking them over twelve hundred miles. During this conflict, Lieutenant Flipper made a heroic twenty-two hour ride through enemy territory to carry a warning to Colonel Grierson.

In November, 1880, at Fort Davis, Flipper was assigned as Acting Assistant Quatermaster and Post Quartermaster, as well as the Acting Commissary of Subsistence and Post Commissary Officer. He was given responsibility for the entire military reservation - its houses, water, fuel, transportation, clothing, food, and equipment for the troops and animals. Flipper performed all of his tasks well, and was cited for his efficiency, dedication, and loyalty. Once when he had a severe case of typhoid malarial fever and was not expected to live, he ordered a stretcher to carry him to his office so he could issue the payroll.

The Plot

Flipper and Miss Mollie Dwyer, who had moved to Fort Davis, continued their horseback rides around the post, as they had at Fort Sill. Their friendship now aroused resentment. Lieutenant Charles Nordstrom, who was in love with Miss Mollie, now became Flipper's bitter enemy. Some of the other officers sided with Nordstrom, blaming Flipper for Miss Mollie's refusal of his marriage proposal.

About this time, Major McLaughlin, the Commanding Officer, was replaced by Colonel William R. Shafter. This change was to prove disastrous for Flipper, for McLaughlin had been his friend. Shafter had a reputation for being coarse and harsh and for harrassing those under him. Flipper was well liked by the Fort Davis townspeople. Some of his civilian friends warned him that Nordstrom and his best friend, Lieutenant Louis Wilhelmi, had bragged that they were preparing a trap for him. The State Hide Inspector told him that Lieutenant Wilhelmi had boasted to him that he "had found a way to get rid of the nigger." Flipper ignored their warnings.

Flipper, now twenty-four, was responsible for keeping financial records and collecting accounts at the post. The funds were always kept in the quartermaster's vault. In May, 1881, according to Flipper, Shafter ordered him to store the $2,000 in his (Flipper's) private quarters. Although Flipper worried because Wilhelmi had access to the keys to his quarters, he did as he was ordered. From May 2 to July 8, 1881, Shafter suddenly stopped conducting his weekly check of funds. Flipper made two bad mistakes during this time: he allowed his trusted servant, Lucy Smith, to store some personal belongings in the same trunk that contained the money; and he gave credit at the commissary to the soldiers.

On July 8, 1881, Colonel Shafter ordered a special audit of the funds. This is when Flipper discovered that $1,440.43 was missing. Since he had seen Lieutenant Wilhelmi "prowling around my quarters at unseemly hours of the night," he decided that Wilhelmi and Nordstrom had taken it. Because he wanted to avoid Colonel Shafter's severe discipline and the embarrassment, he decided to handle his problem alone, as he always had. He banlanced his books by writing a personal check, counting on the $2, 500 which the Homer and Lee Book Company owed him for royalties on his West Point book to cover the check. The company, however failed to deposit the money in time.

The Court Martial

On August 13, Colonel Shafter ordered Wilhemi and Edmunds to search Flipper's quarters. They seized the ledger and funds from the trunk. The two arrested Flipper and wrote a report recommending a court-martial. Shafter, who later discovered some of the checks in the possession of the servant, Lucy, approved the report and charged Flipper with stealing $3,791.77. This amount included the missing $1,440.43, the seized funds, and the credit issued to the soldiers. Shafter, then ordered him put in the guardhouse.

Shafter was later ordered by his superior to stop abusing the officer, to remove him fdrom the guardhouse, and to "treat him like a white officer." Fort Davis residents liked the Black officer and raised $1,700 in one day (and the rest of the money later) to repay the commissary account. Flipper was finally released from the guardhouse, but shackled and placed under house arrest until the trial.

The prosecutor admitted that they lacked evidence of theft, but was able to show Flipper's carelessness in performing his duty. Flipper had committed a misdemeanor and, according the the Handbook of Military Justice, could have been issued a reprimand or an extra duty assignment. Instead, Colonel Shafter recommended a general court-martial, the penalty for a felony.

Flipper did not have any money to hire a lawyer, but received help from Captain Merritt Barber, an attorney in the Sixteenth Infantry. Barber thought he was the victim of a scheme and worked hard to help him.

On November 4, 1881, Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper was charged with embezzling money and of "conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman." The prosecution's case was weak, partly due to Shafter's bad memory and contradictions in his and Wilhemli's testimonies. Colonel Benjamin Grierson, Flippers previous commander, wrote a letter saying the Flipper's "character and standing as an officer and gentleman was beyond reproach." He also stated: "General Davidson, Captain Nolan, and others under whom he has served, have spoken to him to me in the highest terms; and he has repeatedly been selected fodr special and important duties, discharging them faithfully... I believe the problem arose from youth and inexperience."

On December 8, 1881, the all-white court decided that Flipper was not guilty of embezzlement but was guilty of the charge of "conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman." Lieutenant Henry Flipper was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge.

General D. G. Swaim, Judge Advocate General of the Army, reviewed the case and stated the "no case existed in the Army history in which an officer was treated with such personal harshness and indignity as was Lieutenant Flipper." He wrote a letter to Robert Todd Lincoln, Secretary of War, and recommended that Flipper's sentence be changed to a lighter punishment. Lincoln quickly approved this and sent the papers to President Chester A Arthur, but he ignored them. On June 30, 1882, Henry O. Flipper was dismissed fdrom military service and the officer corps became all-white again. The Buffalo Soldier had lost their hero.

Remarkable Accomplishments

Flipper did not let humiliation destroy his spirit, but went on to serve his country in civilian life. To pay his expenses, he got a job as a clerk in a steam laundry in El Paso, Texas. The next year, he became a surveyor with an American land company in Chihuahua, Mexico. In 1886, he became chief engineer for thte Sonora Land Company of Chicago. In 1890, he opened his own engineering office in Nogales, Arizona; and in 1899, he became the editor of the Nogales Sunday Herald.

From 1893 to 1901, Flipper was employed as a special agent with the Court of Private Land Claims of the United States Justice Department. He translated thousands of Spanish documents, surveyed land grants, and prepared court materials. The President of Mexico commissioned him to write a three-volume history of mining in Mexico. In 1919, he served as translator and interpreter for the Senate subcommittee on Mexican affairs, and then became assistant to the Secretary of the Interior and responsible for the planning and construction of the Alaskan railway system. He was highly respected by all those fodr whom he worked. Frank Dobie called him a remarkable character and wrote a story about his adventures in Mexico. If Flipper had remained in the Army, he would probably never have achieved so much. He accomplished things most people would never dream of and was the first of his race to pursue carreers in fields that had always been closed to Blacks in America.

Flipper continued to fight all his life to prove his innocence. He was promised help many times by people in Washington, but was always disappointed. In 1898 and 1924, bills were introduced to Congress to reverse his court-martial, but they died in the Committees on Military Affairs.

When he was seventy-four, Flipper retired and went to live with his younger brother, Joseph, bishop of Atlanta's Episcopal District Church in Atlanta. On May 3, 1940, at the age of eighty-four, Henry Ossian Flipper died. He was buried in Atlanta's Southview Cemetery, near his brother's home. In 1877, Flipper's graduation from West Point had been headline news for nearly every American newspaper; however, only three newspapers reported his death.

Justice at Last

In 1972, Ray O. MacColl, a white Georgia school teacher, became interested in the case and asked the Department of the Army to review it. After examining the records, the Board immediately recommended that Flipper's court-martial be reversed. On December 13, 1976, a certificate of honorable discharge was issued. On February 11, 1978, before a crowd of five hundred dignitaries and others, Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper's remains were brought home to Thomasville, where he was buried with full military honors. A proclamation was issued by the Governor of Georgia commending Flipper's many years of service to his country.

West Point Military Academy Superintendent, Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Berry, designated February 10 and "Henry O. Flipper Day" at West Point, with an annual award to be given in his name. Today, a large, bronze bust of Henry Flipper stands in the Cdet Library as a permanent memorial to "a strong and gentle man." Cadets are encouraged by the bravery and strength of character of the academy's first Black graduate.

Although belated, these honors were a final tribute to a man who rose above the injustices of his time to become a great American. Though born a slave, Flipper achieved many "firsts" for a Black American: West Point Academy graduate, cavalry officer, surveyor, cartographer, civil and mining engineer, translator, patented inventor, editor, author, and special agent for the Justice Department. He also paved the way for Black people in many career areas. He was a credit to his race as well as to our nation.

He was a man of perseverence, strong character, and vision; but most of all, he was a man of courage. Henry Ossian Flipper, Buffalo Soldier, was a great individual in American History. At long last, may he rest in peace.

Written by David Edmond Hilton
This essay was first printed in the September 1989, Texas Historian. Reprinted with permission of the Texas State Historical Association (Copyright 1989).

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