henry ossian flipper-第47章

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　some　of　the　white　soldiers　there　what　they　think　of　me。　I　am　afraid　the　Herald　didn't　get　its　〃gift　of　prophecy〃　I　from　the　right　place。　Such　blunders　are　wholly　inexcusable。　The　Herald　reporter　deserves　an　〃extra〃　（vide　Cant　Terms；　etc。）　for　that。　I　wish　he　could　get　one　at　any　rate。　Perhaps；　however；　the　following　will　excuse　him。　It　is　true。

〃He　is　spoken　of　by　all　the　officers　as　a　hard　student　and　a　gentleman。　To　a　very　great　extent　he　has　conquered　the　prejudices　of　his　fellows；　and　although　they　still　decline　to　associate　with　him　it　is　evident　that　they　respect　him。　Said　one　of　his　class　this　morning：　'Flipper　has　certainly　shown　pluck　and　gentlemanly　qualities；　and　I　shall　certainly　shake　his　〃flipper〃　when　we　say　〃Good…by。〃　We　have　no　feeling　against　him　at　all；　but　we　could　not　associate　with　him。　You　see　we　are　so　crowded　together　here　that　we　are　just　like　one　family；　possessing　every　thing　in　common　and　borrowing　every　thing；　even　to　a　pair　of　white　trousers；　and　we　could　not　hold　such　intimate　fellowship　with　him。　It　may　be　prejudice；　but　we　could　not　do　it；　so　we　simply　let　him　alone；　and　he　has　lived　to　himself；　except　when　we　drill　with　him。　Feel　bad　about　it？　Well；　I　suppose　he　did　at　first；　but　he　has　got　used　to　it　now。　The　boys　were　rather　afraid　that　when　he　should　come　to　hold　the　position　as　officer　of　the　guard　that　he　would　swagger　over　them；　but　he　showed　good　sense　and　taste；　merely　assuming　the　rank　formally　and　leaving　his　junior　to　carry　out　the　duty。'〃

That　glorious　day　of　graduation　marked　a　new　epoch　in　my　military　life。　Then　my　fellow…cadets　and　myself　forgot　the　past。　　Then　they　atoned　for　past　conduct　and　welcomed　me　as　one　of　them　as　well　as　one　among　them。

I　must　revert　to　that　Herald's　article　just　to　show　how　absurd　it　is　to　say　I　never　heard　the　sound　of　my　own　voice　except　in　the　section…room。　I　heard　it　at　reveille；　at　breakfast；　dinner；　and　supper　roll…　calls；　at　the　table；　at　taps；　and　at　every　parade　I　attended　during　the　dayin　all　no　less　than　ten　or　twelve　times　every　single　day　during　the　four　years。　Of　course　I　heard　it　in　other　places；　as　I　have　explained　elsewhere。　I　always　had　somebody　to　talk　to　every　single　day　I　was　at　the　Academy。　Why；　I　was　the　happiest　man　in　the　institution；　except　when　I'd　get　brooding　over　my　loneliness；　etc。　Such　moments　would　come；　when　it　would　seem　nothing　would　interest　me。　When　they　were　gone　I　was　again　as　cheerful　and　as　happy　as　ever。　I　learned　to　hate　holidays。　At　those　times　the　other　cadets　would　go　off　skating；　rowing；　or　visiting。　I　had　no　where　to　go　except　to　walk　around　the　grounds；　which　I　sometimes　did。　I　more　often　remained　in　my　quarters。　At　these　times　barracks　would　be　deserted　and　I　would　get　so　lonely　and　melancholy　I　wouldn't　know　what　to　do。　It　was　on　an　occasion　like　this　Thanksgiving　DayI　wrote　the　words　given　in　another　place；　beginning；

　　　〃Oh！　'tis　hard　this　lonely　living；　to　be　　　　　In　the　midst　of　life　so　solitary；〃　etc。

Here　is　something　from　Harper's　Weekly。　The　northern　press　generally　speak　in　the　same　tenor　of　my　graduation。

〃Inman　Edward　Page；　a　colored　student　at　Brown　University；　has　succeeded　in　every　respect　better　than　his　brother　Flipper　at　West　Point。　While　a　rigid　non…intercourse　law　was　for　four　years　maintained　between　Flipper　and　the　nascent　warriors　at　the　Military　Academy；　Page　has　lived　in　the　largest…leaved　clover　at　Brown；　and　in　the　Senior　year　just　closed　was　chosen　Class…day　Oratora　position　so　much　coveted　among　students　ambitious　for　class　honors　that　it　is　ranked　by　many　even　higher　than　the　Salutatory　or　the　Valedictory。　Page　has　throughout　been　treated　by　his　classmates　as　one　of　themselves。　He　is　a　good　writer　and　speaker；　though　not　noticeably　better　than　some　of　his　classmates。　His　conduct　has　been　uniformly　modest　but　self…respectful；　and　he　had　won　the　esteem　of　professors　as　well　as　students。　The　deportment　of　his　class　toward　him　is　in　high　and　honorable　contrast　with　that　pursued　by　the　less　manly　students　supported　by　the　government　at　West　Point；　who　may　have　already　learned　that　the　'plain　people'　of　the　country　are　with　Flipper。〃

Here　is　something　of　a　slightly　different　kind　from　a　Georgia　paperAugusta　Chronicle　and　Constitutionalist。　Its　tone　betrays　the　locality　of　its　birth。

〃Benjamin　F。　Butler；　Jr。；　who　graduated　at　West　Point　last　summer　in　the　same　class　with　the　colored　cadet　from　Georgia；　Flipper；　has　been　assigned　for　duty　to　the　Ninth　Cavalry；　the　same　regiment　to　which　Flipper　is　attached。　The　enlisted　men　in　this　regiment　are　all　negroes。　Ben；　senior；　doubtless　engineered　the　assignment　in　order　to　make　himself　solid　with　the　colored　voters　of　the　South。　Ben；　like　old　Joe　Bagstock；　is　devilish　sly。〃

It　is　in　error　as　to　my　assignment。　Lieutenant　Butler　（whose　name；　by　the　way；　is　not　Benjamin　F。；　Jr。）　was　assigned　to　the　Ninth　Cavalry。　Here　is　the　truth　about　my　assignment；　given　in　the　Sing　Sing　（N。　Y。）　Republican：

〃Cadet　Flipper　has　been　appointed　to　the　Tenth　U。　S。　Cavalry　（colored）；　now　in　Texas。　Secretary　of　State　Bigelow's　son　has　also　been　assigned　to　the　same　regiment。　We　wonder　if　the　non…intercourse　between　the　two　at　West　Point　will　be　continued　in　the　army。　Both　have　the　same　rank　and　are　entitled　to　the　same　privileges。　Possibly　a　campaign　among　the　Indians；　or　a　brush　with　the　'Greasers'　on　the　Rio　Grande；　will　equalize　the　complexion　of　the　two。〃

The　National　Monitor；　of　Brooklyn　（N。　Y。）；　has　this　much　to　say。　It　may　be　worth　some　study　by　the　cadets　now　at　the　Academy。

〃Lieutenant　Flipper；　colored；　a　recent　graduate　from　West　Point；　is　a　modest　gentleman；　and　no　grumbler。　He　says　that　privately　he　was　treated　by　fellow…cadets　with　proper　consideration；　but　reluctantly　admits　that　he　was　publicly　slighted。　He　can　afford　to　be　untroubled　and　magnanimous。　How　is　it　with　his　fellows？　Will　not　shame　ere　long　mantle　their　cheeks　at　the　recollection　of　this　lack　of　moral　courage　on　their　part？　A　quality　far　more　to　be　desired　than　any　amount　of　physical　heroism　they　may　ever　exhibit。〃

Here　is　something　extra　good　from　the　Hudson　River　Chronicle；　of　Sing　Sing。　To　all　who　want　to　know　the　truth　about　me　physically；　I　refer　them　to　this　article。　I　refer　particularly　to　the　editor　of　a　certain　New　Orleans　paper；　who　described　me　as　a　〃little　bow…legged　grif　of　the　most　darkly　coppery　hue。〃

〃For　a　few　days　past　Lieutenant　Henry　O。　Flipper；　the　colored　cadet　who　graduated　from　West　Point　Academy　last　week；　has　been　the　guest　of　Professor　John　W。　Hoffman；　of　this　place。　Lieutenant　Flipper　is　a　native　of　Atlanta；　Georgia；　whence　General　Sherman　commenced　that　glorious　march　to　the　sea　which　proved　what　a　hollow　shell　the　Southern　Confederacy　really　was。　The　lieutenant　evidently　has　a　large　strain　of　white　blood　in　his　veins；　and　could　probably；　if　so　disposed；　trace　descent　from　the　F。　F's。　He　stands　six　feet；　is　well　proportioned；　has　a　keen；　quick　eye；　a　gentlemanly　address；　and　a　soldierly　bearing。　He　goes　from　here　to　his　home　in　Georgia；　on　a　leave　of　absence　which　extends　to　the　first　of　November；　when　he　will　join　the　Tenth　Cavalry；　to　which　he　has　been　assigned　as　Second　Lieutenant。　This　assignment　shows　that　Lieutenant　Flipper　stood　above　the　average　of　the　graduating　class；　as　the　cavalry　is　the　next　to　the　highest　grade　in　the　serviceonly　the　Engineer　Corps　taking　precedence　of　the　cavalry　arm。

〃For　four　long　years　Cadet　Flipper　has　led　an　isolated　life　at　the　Pointwithout　one　social　companion；　being　absolutely　ostracized　by　his　white　classmates。　As　much　as　any　mortal；　he　can　say：

　　　　　　　〃'In　the　crowd　　　　　　　　　They　would　not　deem　me　one　of　such；　I　stood　　　　　　　　　Among　them；　but　not　of　them；　in　a　shroud　　　　　　　　　Of　thoughts　which　were　not　their　thoughts。'

〃There　must　have　been　much　of　inherent　manhood　in　a　boy　that　could　stand　that　long　ordeal；　and　so　bear　himself　at　the　close　that；　when　his　name　was　pronounced　among　the　graduates；　the　fair　women　and　brave　men　who　had　gathered　to　witness　the　going　out　into　the　world　of　the　nation's　wards；　with　one　accord　greeted　the　lone　student　with　a　round　of　applause　that　welcomed　none　others　of　the　class；　and　that　could　call　from　Speaker　Blaine　the　strong　assurance　that　i