Henry Flipper: first black West Point grad

It is the birthday of Henry O. Flipper (1856), the first black graduate of West Point and the first non-white officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 10th Cavalry. His unit fought with distinction in the Apache Wars and in the campaign against the Apache Chief Victorio. But Flipper was accused of improprieties, and after a court martial, was removed from the Army. Descendants applied for a review and Flipper’s punishment was found unjust and unduly harsh. He was pardoned in 1999.