Listenly
Henry Ossian Flipper

author

Henry Ossian Flipper

1856–1940

Born into slavery and determined to excel, this pioneering soldier and engineer became the first African American to graduate from West Point. His life moved from military service to writing and engineering work, leaving a story of talent, endurance, and long-delayed recognition.

1 Audiobook

Henry Ossian Flipper, the Colored Cadet at West Point Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, U.S.A., First Graduate of Color from the U.S. Military Academy

Henry Ossian Flipper, the Colored Cadet at West Point Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, U.S.A., First Graduate of Color from the U.S. Military Academy

by Henry Ossian Flipper

About the author

Born in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856, Henry Ossian Flipper grew up during the final years of slavery and came of age in Reconstruction. In 1877, after years of isolation and hostility from fellow cadets, he became the first African American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Flipper was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served with the 10th Cavalry, one of the famed Buffalo Soldier regiments. He later faced a court-martial and was dismissed from the Army, a result many historians and public institutions have described as deeply shaped by racial prejudice.

After leaving the military, he worked as an engineer, surveyor, translator, and writer, including authoring memoirs and works on the American West and Mexico. His reputation was gradually restored decades after his dismissal, and his story is now remembered as an important chapter in both military and African American history.