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| Lt. Henry O. Flipper |
Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point spent much of his life and career in our Texas Mountain Trail region.
African-American soldiers are important to our nation's and our region's history. The term "buffalo soldiers" has come to mean the African American soldiers who served in the Army between the Civil War and World War I. Buffalo soldiers were often stationed--and served bravely--at the leading edge of the western frontier.
While stationed at Fort Davis, Flipper endured a humiliating court-martial in 1882, which was driven by racism. Flipper always maintained his innocence, and indeed, he was fully exonerated 100 years later with a full pardon by President Clinton.
After his court-martial and discharge from the Army, Flipper worked at a mining engineer, surveyor, and translator. He lived for many years in El Paso,
Read more about his life here (on our Texas Mountain Trail site) and here (on the Fort Davis National Historic Site). Click here to read about Flipper's life in El Paso.
Click here to read about Buffalo Soldier historical sites in our Texas Mountain Trail region. A few are pictured below:
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| Fort Davis National Historic Site |
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| Post Park, south of Marathon |
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| Gate at historic El Paso Concordia Cemetery honoring Buffalo Soldiers |
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