The Colored Cadet at West Point

by Henry Ossian Flipper

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, War, Autobiography

300 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Ossian Flipper wrote this biography of his time at West Point shortly after graduating from there, the first black man to do so. Working on a review....

This book can be read for free on Kindle or by various sources including Project Gutenberg. From the little I have learned about him he was incredibly intelligent, well-liked by most, hard-working and paved the way for his race in the early years after the Civil War; it is puzzling as well as sad that his story is so little known.

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

This book shows how it was at West Point during the 1870’s for a cadet who happened to be black. It also reveals how bigoted the Northern cadets were against Cadet Flipper.

[Alex Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

First hand account of the first African American to graduate West Point who was born as a slave before the Civil War ended. The book also includes accounts of other AA cadets who didn't graduate and stories printed in various papers at the time. Overall, it is a very real look into a time that is taught in school, but rarely shown via first hand experience.

[Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book gave lots of information about Henry Flipper and his life accomplishments.

[Andre S. Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, compelling story.

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating first-hand history to read along with his memoirs of being a mining engineer in Mexico and a Spanish-speaking historian.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Ossian Flipper's autobiography, The Colored Cadet at West Point is the story of the first African American to graduate from West Point. It is a description of his family history, his birth, education and the years he spent at West Point. Flipper describes the course requirements, rules and regulations for each year of his West Point Career. What I liked about the book was that it not only dwelled on military training but also on the prejudice of being the only black person in West Point. Flipper gives accounts of exactly how much social ostracism he endures at West Point. He describes in four years at West Point the threats, bribes and refusal of other cadets to speak to him for for the four years he was there. Through it all Flipper succeeds as well as the book he writes.

[Ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoir of the struggles and achievement of being the first African American graduate of the United States Military Academy. Flipper was the fifth person of color to attend the Academy. He gives details of the academic rigor and social challenges. A nice addition is the inclusion of newspaper stories during his time at West Point. He does not avoid the issues of racism and the book concludes with the racism experienced by the 4th student who made it to the final year before being dismissed. A great time capsule of the 1870s and West Point

[Missy W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting! Sad, tho, that not much has changed in this country concerning people's attitudes about each other.