| Medal of Honor |
| during Indian Wars |
| 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.
| Chief |
| Osceola |
| Courtesy |
| National |
| Archives |
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.
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.
| Reny Grayson, |
| Seminole-Negro |
| Indian Scout |
| 1910, Courtesy |
| New York |
| Public Library |
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.
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.
| Pompey Factor, |
| Medal of Honor |
| Recipient, |
| Courtesy |
| National |
| Archives |
| The Last of the Seminole- |
| Negro Indian Scouts, |
| 1913-1914, Courtesy New |
| York Public Library |
Today, outside Bracketville, Texas, there is a graveyard with a marker giving testament
to honors won by the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts and the dreams lost by the Seminole Indian Nation.
Medal of Honor Recipients, Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts
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.
|
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 West- This 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 have permission to use the images on this page only. 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, without prior written permission of the copyright owners is prohibited. Buffalosoldier.net is not responsible for any losses due to linking to its Web pages and links.
Send e-mail to: sldavis@buffalosoldier.net
Copyright 2002 Stanford L. Davis, M.A.
All Rights Reserved
www.buffalosoldier.net
