"There is something in such a man which elevates him
above many others who, having nothing else to boast of,
can only say, 'I am a white man, and am therefore your
superior,' or 'I am a West Point graduate, and therefore
an officer and a gentleman.'
"After the usual 'investigation' by the Commandant of
Cadets, I was sentenced to be confined to the 'company
street' until the 15th of August, about five weeks, so
that I could not get out to see my brother and sister
after that, except when I was at drill, and then I could
not speak to them. I tried to get permission to see them
in the 'Visitors' Tent' the day before they left the
'Point' on their return home, but my permit was not
granted, and they left without having the privilege of
saying 'Good-by.'
"I must say a word in reference to the commandant's
method of making 'investigations.' After sending for
Cadet Corporal Tyler and other white cadets, and
hearing their side of the story in reference to the
tent wall and the disrespectful reply, he sent for
me to hear what I had to say, and after I had given
my version of the affair, he told me that I must
surely be mistaken, as my statement did not coincide
with those of the other cadets, who were unanimous
in saying that I used not only disrespectful, but
also profane language while addressing the cadet
corporal. I told him that new Cadet Napier and my
brother were both there and heard the conversation,
and they would substantiate my statement if allowed
to testify.
Pages:
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360