| Medal of Honor during |
| Indian Wars |

The Medal of Honor, this nation's highest honor for valor, was awarded to four Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts. Buffalo Soldier Regimental returns, show that after twelve engagements and twenty expeditions, not one of their men was killed or seriously wounded in their seventeen-year history from 1868-1885. These young men of pure African or mixed black and Seminole ancestry, dressed, acted and possessed trailing, hunting and fighting skills like those of the plains Indians. Their number varied between thirty to fifty scouts. They were probably the best desert fighters and trackers the in the history of the United States Army.
The Florida Seminole Nation is one of the Five Civilized Nations. It held slaves, who
could do as they pleased, as long as they gave goods to the tribe. This also brought protection from slavers
and the military. They also accepted runaway slaves into their tribe. The Seminole Nation fought slavers, Indians
and the U.S. government to keep their ancestral lands and farms, which delayed the annexation of Florida. The United
States government invited their leaders Chief Coacoochee (Wild Cat) and Chief
Osceola, the great medicine man, to take part in peace talks under a flag of truce.
When the Seminole leaders arrived at the site of the negotiations they were promptly arrested. The Seminole
Nation was marched to Indian Territory on what is now known as the "Trail of Tears", where hundreds of
men, women and children were marched to their deaths.
Because of attacks from slavers and Creek Indians, the majority of the Seminoles and Seminole Negroes moved into
Mexico. For twenty years as colonists, they served in the Mexican Army fighting Comanche and Apache Indians
raiders, in addition to Texans. At the death of Chief Wild Cat, the Seminoles left Mexico for United States. Under the leadership of their black Seminole
Chief, John Horse, the Seminole Negroes stayed in Mexico away from slavery. Other Seminole, Creek and Cherokee
Negroes joined them.

Chief
Osceola
Courtesy
National
Archives
The United States army had great difficulty in trying to control the ongoing hostile activities
of the Comanche, Apache, and other plains Indians. The U.S. government invited the Seminole Negroes to return to
the United States to serve as scouts. The Seminole Negroe's understanding of this Treaty was that the government
would grant them land, pay their transportation costs to the U.S., pay them for their services and provide provisions
for their families.
It took two years to find a commanding officer who could handle the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts and gain their
respect. The officer was Lieutenant John L. Bullis, a Quaker who commanded United States Colored Troops in the
Civil War. Bullis' fighting skills and religious background probably helped lead to a closeness with the scouts
that resulted in Bullis receiving invitations to perform marriages and baptisms in their Indian villages.
Reny Grayson,
Seminole-Negro
Indian Scout
1910, Courtesy
New York
Public Library

On the trail they were the best shots from the saddle, able to find water and food others missed, could pickup trails up to three weeks old and stay on a trail for months at a time. Unlike the soldiers, they could also live off of half rations indefinitely. Many of their, culprits, incorrectly, thought they had escaped from these scouts.
Near the end of their service to the government, Chief John Horse of the Seminole Negroes asked that their treaty
be honored. He was told there was no copy of it, no land was available to be given them and that they were
not entitled to lands granted to Indians. When the tribe was moved off of the reservation, some of the scouts were
arrested and moved with them.
Due to the unpunished murders and other intolerable
injustices suffered by the Seminole Negroes,
five of the scouts quit the service and moved their families to the Rio Grande. Private Pompey Factor, who
saved Lieutenant Bulli's life, received his Medal of Honor, but not his pension. He was told there was no record
of his service. Service by the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts was completed in 1914.
Pompey Factor,
Medal of Honor
Recipient,
Courtesy
National
Archives

| The Last of the Seminole- Negro Indian |
| Scouts, 1913-1914, |
| Courtesy New York |
| Public Library |

Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts Medal of Honor Recipients
Pvt. Adam Paine, September 20, 1874. The Staked Plains, Texas. Sept. 26-27, 1874. Inducted: Fort Duncan, Texas. Born: Florida. Issued: Oct 13, 1875. Citation: Rendered invaluable service to Col. R. S. Mackenzie, 4th U.S. Cavalry., during this engagement.
Pvt. Pompey Factor, April 25,1875. Eagle's Nest Crossing, Pecos River, Texas. Issued March 15, 1875. Citation: With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol
Pvt. Isaac Payne, April 25, 1875. Eagle's Nest Crossing, Pecos River, Texas. April 25, 1875. Born: Mexico. Issued: May 25, 1875. Citation: With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol.
Sgt. John Ward, April 25,1875. Eagle's Nest Crossing, Pecos River, Texas. April 25, 1875. Entered service at. Fort Duncan, Tex. Born: Arkansas. Issued: May 28, 1875. Citation. With 3 other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Edwin C. McReynolds. THE SEMINOLES. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1957.
Katz, William Loren. BLACK INDIANS: A Hidden Heritage. New York: Athenaeum, 1986.
Kevin Mulroy. FREEDOM ON THE BORDER: The Seminole Maroons in Florida, the Indian Territory, Coahuila and Texas Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 1993.
Miller, Donald. AN ALBUM OF BLACK AMERICANS IN THE ARMED FORCES. New York, NY.: Franklin Watts, 1969.
White, William Bruce. THE MILITARY AND THE MELTING POT: The American Army and Minority Groups,
1865-1924. University of Wisconsin: Thesis submitted to by William Bruce White 1968, University Microfilms
International, Ann Arbor Michigan, U.S.A., London England, 1978.
Personal Links*
|
Buffalo Soldiers |
|
62nd & 65th Regiments U.S. Colored Troops, with History & Soldiers' Names* Co-founders of Lincoln Institute, later Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO.
Preservation Issues, Black Missourians in the Civil War, Co-founders of Lincoln Institute, later Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO.
The Battle of Glasgow- Includes 62nd Regiment USCT. Pictures, maps and references. Excellent
"Additional Notes on the Battle of Glasgow on October 15, 1864."
New research and maps; Excellent
Mid-Missouri Round Table- This Civil War historical Web site presents detailed documented accounts of military engagements, with pictures, maps, and references, plus a calendar of association events. Excellent Site.
Palmito Ranch, The Last Battle of the Civil War: A Gentleman's Agreement Broken*
COLUMBIA CEMETERY Columbia, Missouri- The Columbia Cemetary could be the only known cemetary in Missouri in which United States Colored Infantry, Civil War Veterans are buried. You will find 31 graves from the following regiments; 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 13th, 18th, 54th, 56th, 60th, 62nd, 65th, 67th, and the 68th. They are in very poor condition.
Civil War Medicine- Excellent
War of the Rebellion Journal Contents (1880 - 1901)- The War of the Rebellion is a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies published under the direction of the Secretary of War. It includes all official General & Regimental communications. Helps to know the theater of war, unit, month and year.
The United States Civil War Center-Thousands of links, including Native Americans
Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System
United States Army Military History Institute
The Louisiana Native Guards- Excellent Site
Black Civil War Soldiers of the Trans-Mississippi West
Union Army Regimental Histories
Cindi's List of African- American Sites
American Indians In The Civil War
Veteran Military Websites
Military & Pension Records for Union Civil War Veterans
Civil War Artillery Sites
Educational
Constitution of the United States-Biographies of the signing and nonsigning delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Bill of Rights, and much more. Excellent
THE OVERLAND TRAIL: An Official Millennium Trail. This site is very comprehensive in its analysis of the everyday aspects of living and traving in the West. Excellent
Dive and Discover-Join scientists as they dive to the mid-ocean ridge thousands of meters deep. Excellent
eCLASSROOM-
Travel thirty-eight states by motorhome, and experience their wonder and history through interactive experiences. Excellent
50 STATES.com -
Complete information on each State
Project Gutenberg - Download pre-1923 classic books from the start of this century and previous centuries, from authors like Shakespeare, Poe, Dante. Titles: Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Alice's adventures in Wonderland, and thousands of others. Excellent
Library of Congress American Memory Lessons, Grades 4-12
Hperhistory Timeline -
Click on the 3,000-year timeline to access relevant maps, biographies and profiles of people, places and events. Excellent
Blue Web'n-A Library of Blue Ribbon learning sites on the Web. Excellent
The Wild, Wild WestThis site provides a multiplicity of "Excellent" links.
EduScapes -A Website for Life-Long Learners.
Websites and Resources For Teachers
Los Angeles County Schools- K-12 Lesson Plans
VisionQuest
St.Johns K-12, Fl. SJCSD Black History Websites
Georgia Institute of Technology- K-12; Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing
Davenport Public
LIbrary
Online-Learning-
Learning Disabilities
Brothers Judd
A major source for good books, recommended reading, and tons of rated websites!
Educational Resources Information Center ( Ask ERIC) and Other Clearinghouses
POETRY- You'll find everything here.
Federation of American Scientists-Includes video clips and much more. Excellent
NASA- Photo Gallery; Excellent
NASA- Ask the Hubble Space Telescope team a question. Excellent
National Geographic- Excellent
A WWW Vitural
International Aborigious
People- Excellent site with excellent photographs.
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Native American Tribal Colleges & Universities
Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities
Women's Colleges
Smithsonian Institution
Kidsweb
Kids Domain
Kids-online
Yaho0ligans-A Web guide for kids
Reach-it: A very useful site!
www.gmsp.org.
The American Veterinary Medical Association:
Animal health, safety, buying, pet loss, careers, kid's corner
Environmental Protection Agency-There is also a link for kids.
TeachersFirst
Search Engines-28*
Shareware & Freebees
Efortress
Scholarships
NAACP
CSUS LIBRARY- Offers a multiplicty of services including, online applications for more than 1,700 undergraduate colleges, as well as graduate programs.
National Achievement Scholarship
The Minority On-Line
Information Service
(MOLIS)
2001 Colleges, College Scholarships, and Financial Aid page
United Negro College Fund
The American Indian College Fund
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
www.hsf.net
www.gatesfoundation.org.
Genealogy
Afrigeneas Home Page
Amistad Research Center
American Historical Text Archive-This archive, housed at Mississippi State University, is international in scope.
U.S. Colored Troops -
Contains the names of over 230,000 soldiers of the USCT.
New Orleans Public Library
Pennsylvania Department: African-American genealogy
Kentucky Department for Libraries and
Archives -"Archival Reference Services", accepts certain written requests for genealogy searches.
Josephculligan.com Hundreds of sources
Government
The Constitution of the United States: Full Text
Pro-Handgun Control
Anti-Handgun Control
Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System Name Search- I found my granfather by leaving out the Unit No. (or Ordinal) info.
National Archives and Records Administration
Genealogy & Soundex Locator
Ordering Pension & Military Records
Selected Civil War Photographs & Searchable Index
Library of Congress
The White House
American Memory Library
Environmental Organizations
Web Directory-This site has everything on the topic from restrants to
solar vehicles.
National Weather Service Local & World
The Federal Population Censuses
U. S. Census Bureau
BUFFALO SOLDIERS & INDIAN WARS* Topic Page Links.
Page 1
101st Regt. United States Colored Infantry*
Cherokees-
The Seminole Nation Indian Territory-
Colonel Allen Allensworth
Five Civilized Nations
Union Pacific Railroad-
Treaty Of Medicine Lodge*
Cheyenne-Arapaho-
Comanches
Kiowa tribes
Brevet Major General George Armstrong
Custer, Lieutenant Colonel
General Philip Sheridan
General William T. Sherman
Page 2
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 *
Chief Satanta
Chief Quanah Parker
Legendary Chiricahua, Chief Cochise
Page 4
Chief Gull
Little Bighorn
Major Reno's Account
Chief Crazy Horse's Monument
Lipan, 6th-8th grades-Excellent
Kickapoo Indians
Richard Henry Pratt-Controversial founder of Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Includes Hampton Insitute, the first non- Christian school accepting Native Americans. Excellent
Bibliography*
Native American
Ryder Collection, 362 Color paintings & photos of Native American scenes, and artifacts, with archival data.- Click on all paintings and photos to enlarge. Smithsonian Institution; Excellent
MAPS: Geographical Information Systems-Explores Native American lands, history, artifacts, current places, and much more. Excellent
Twin Territories, Oklahoma-Indian Territory Project.
Legendary Indian Leaders Speak
American Indian Treaties, Law and Issues
Legislative Impact:
This site provides up to the minute information on tribal issues currently in legislation.
The American Indian Page
Native American Resources
American Indians In The Civil War
The United States Civil War Center: Thousands of links, including Native Americans.
Bill's Aboriginal links-Provides a listing of international native sites. Excellent
Early Native Americans Texas Maps
ArtsEdNet
Japanese-Asian Americans
The National Japanese -American Historical Society
Japanese-American Veteran'association
katonk.com-Nisei, Military & Events
A History of the Japanese-American Internment
Chinese Culture Net
Chinese Language Information Page
Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library
The Center For Southeast
Asian Studies
Asian Art
Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association
Forts
Fort Clark, Texas
Fort Concho, Texas
Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis, West Texas
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
Fort Griffin, Texas
Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Fort Larned, Kansas
Fort McKavett, Texas
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Stockton, Texas
International Light Horse Cavalry
The 61 Cavalry- The only unmechanised mounted cavalry regiment in the world. The genesis of modern polo.
Strathcona Museum Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Regimental Museum
Nintheenth Century British and Indian Armies- Very large
photographic and genealogical resource for 19th century British and Indian armies, soldiers, and
Anglo- Indians (India) families.
K Troop The New South Wales Lancers- Allies WW1&2
You may FREELY link to this Web site and its PERSONAL LINKS*, for NON-COMMERCIAL or PERSONAL USE ONLY. Copyright restrictions apply to the use, transmission and reproduction of images and content on this page and its links. Any other use, to without prior written permission of the copyright owners is prohibited. Buffalosoldier.net is not responsible for any losses due to linking its Web pages and links.
Send e-mail to: sldavis@buffalosoldier.net
Copyright 1999, by Stanford L. Davis, M.A.
All Rights Reserved
www.buffalosoldier.net