The Fascinating Mr. Flipper

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” Charles Du Bos

Imagine, if you will, a young man, born into the poorest of circumstances, reaching for a dream seemingly far beyond his grasp. Imagine him fighting overwhelming adversity to gain admission to the preeminent military academy in the nation. Imagine him overcoming insurmountable odds to graduate and go on to a commission in the United States Army, serving with distinction until accused of a crime by a hardened superior officer. Imagine, after being brought low by a dishonorable discharge, moving on to gain respect and recognition in his chosen field and eventually opening his own successful business. Imagine him never giving up trying to clear his name of the crime he was accused of, tenaciously continuing his eloquent quest towards vindication. Whew! That would make a pretty compelling story! Now, take this compelling story and transport it back to a time when the word racism takes on an even more sinister and horrific meaning.
Meet, if you haven't already, Henry Ossian Flipper. Henry was born into slavery on 21 March 1856 in Thomasville Georgia, deep in the heart of the pre-Civil War, racist South. His mother was the slave of a Methodist minister (a whole other issue, to my way of thinking), and his father was owned by a slave dealer. He attended an American Missionary Association school and entered Atlanta University in 1869. In January of 1873 he wrote Georgia Congressman James Freeman and petitioned for an appointment to West Point. Letters were exchanged between Henry and Freeman, and, ultimately, Freeman forwarded Henry's nomination on to the U.S. Secretary of War. After passing all the required examinations, Henry officially entered West Point Military Academy on 1 July, 1873. Imagine, if you can the adversity he had to have endured in that most racist of times. Yet he managed to not only make it through, but excel in engineering, law, Spanish and French. He graduated, at 21 years of age, in West Point class of 1877, West Points first black graduate and was also the first African-American commissioned officer in the regular U.S. Army. He was stationed at Fort Sill, Indian Territory, Troop A, 10th Cavalry. While at Fort Sill, he directed the construction of a drainage system to help combat malaria. It's still known as “Flipper's Ditch”, and is commemorated with a bronze historical marker.



In Nov, 1880, Henry was ordered to Fort Davis, Texas where he was assigned the duties of Acting Assistant Quartermaster and Acting Commissary of Subsistence. In 1881, a man with a reputation of being excessively hard on subordinates became the commander of Fort Davis. Colonel William R. Shafter relieved Henry of his quartermaster duties and accused Henry of embezzling $3,791.77 from commissary funds. He was court-martialed and charged with embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. He was eventually found not guilty of embezzlement, but guilty of misconduct and dishonorably discharged from the army. Henry went on to gain respect and recognition as an engineer and surveyor. He ran his own civil and mining engineering office in Arizona, worked for the Department of Justice as a special agent for the Court of Private Land Claims, translated Spanish documents into English, surveyed land grants and appeared as an expert witness in court cases. He worked as a resident engineer with a mining company in Mexico and, in 1919, as an interpreter and translator for a Senate subcommittee on foreign relations during the Mexican Revolution. in 1921, he was appointed special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, working with the Alaskan Engineering Commission. He then went on to work as a consultant for a New York-based oil company until 1930. Henry died, at age 84, in 1940, never ceasing his attempts to clear his name through the only recourse available to him, which was the passage of a bill through Congress. He fight for justice began in 1898, eventually, after eight separate attempts, resulting in a bill being introduced into the Senate in 1924. The bills never gained support and all died silently in committee.

The tenacity and fortitude exhibited by Henry Flipper, from overcoming his beyond humble beginnings to the never-ending battle towards vindication inspire me. I somehow can't imagine him a broken man. I imagine he persevered in his belief in his innocence and held his head high unto his dying breath. In 1976 the Army granted him an honorable discharge and a posthumous pardon was granted him by President Clinton in 1999, finally ending the battle for vindication fought so hard and for so long by Henry Flipper. This is a remarkable story of a remarkable man that is should be much more widely known than it is. Henry Flipper serves as an inspiration to everyone, of every race, in overcoming adversity and rising above circumstance to become the best person you can be. The next time you think you can't do something, from the trivial to the truly daunting, remember, if you will, the incredible journey undertaken by an amazing man and ask yourself if your goal is really so very unattainable.

I realize I, who am not a writer, could never begin to do this mans story justice. I encourage you to read more about the extraordinary Henry O. Flipper, a true pioneer, and an inspiration to us all.