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Assault at West Point, the Court Martial of Johnson Whittaker

by John Marszalek

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A West Point court-martial and a struggle over credibility

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A West Point court-martial and a struggle over credibility

Set at West Point in the 1880s, John Marszalek’s historical account centers on Johnson Whittaker, a former slave and the third Black cadet admitted to the academy. The book places the assault discovered in Whittaker’s room within the institutional isolation he had faced during three years of training, then follows the public controversy that turned on whether he had staged the attack. Drawing on historical records, it examines a court-martial that brought questions of race, authority, evidence, and public sympathy into sharp conflict.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in African American history after Reconstruction
  • Those seeking documented accounts of military institutions and racial exclusion
  • Readers interested in court-martial cases and public controversies

Themes

Racial discriminationMilitary justiceCredibility and evidenceWest Point historyPost-slavery America

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Set in the 1880s, this riveting story focuses on Whittaker, a former slave who became the third black man to enter West Point. Like his two predecessors, he was ostracized for the entire three years of his training. One morning Whittaker didn't show up for drill. He was found in his room, unconscious, tied tightly to the bed, with blood streaming from his head. In a trial that received major attention from the press, Whittaker was accused of faking the crime to get sympathy from the public and from his professors. Author Marszalek weaves his rich narrative from historical records to tell how Whittaker sought justice against all odds.
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