"An Annotated Autobiography of Henry O. Flipper"

Abstract of a recently indexed book

Submitted in December 2024.

The book is “An Annotated Autobiography of Henry O. Flipper: West Point’s First Black Graduate,” edited by LTC Rory McGovern and Dr. Tony McGowan. To be published by West Point Press.

In this republication of a memoir by the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, the modern editors provide a thorough introduction and afterword that give historical context to Henry Flipper’s account of his life and time at West Point. The book also includes the author’s original text and footnotes, plus footnotes by the modern editors that give a running commentary of points discussed in the original book along with some suggestions for further reading. In the Introduction to the autobiography, the editors give a brief history of Flipper’s family and his life leading up to his appointment to West Point; they discuss Reconstruction era society and politics which set the stage for the events discussed in Flipper’s text. Then, throughout the autobiography, readers follow Cadet Henry Flipper through his application, acceptance, and arrival to West Point; he narrates his experiences as he reported in on his first day as a “plebe” (first-year cadet) through studies, summer encampments, furlough, the graduation ceremony, and his commissioning as an Army Lieutenant. Flipper provides many personal insights into his treatment and the culture at West Point, which he supplements with contemporary newspaper clippings. In the Afterword, the editors discuss Henry Flipper’s life after receiving his U.S. Army commission, and his legacy at West Point and in the Army.