Army Reverses 1894 Dishonorable Discharge for Chaplain Henry Vinton Plummer

Henry Vinton Plummer was the first African American to be commissioned an army chaplain. A charismatic preacher, Plummer was assigned to the Ninth Cavalry in 1884, which at the time was headquartered at Fort Riley, Kansas. Chaplain Plummer was dishonorably discharged in 1894 for "conduct unbecoming an officer" for drinking with enlisted men and cursing in front of one man's children and wife. This week (February 10, 2005) Chaplain Henry Vinton Plummer was posthumously honorable discharge from the Army.

You can hear Michele Norris, of All Things Considered,talk with the Rev. Jerome Fowler about the posthumous honorable discharge of his great-uncle, Chaplain Henry Vinton Plummer.


You can also read the Army News Service article on Capt Plummer at the U.S. Army web site.