Local history
Texas Seminole Negro Indian Scout Historical Markers: The Scouts Who Never Lost a Man
From Eagle Pass to the Pecos River canyon, Texas markers trace the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts, who fought eight years under Lt. John Bullis without losing a man.
Photo: Dennis Lamberth / Unsplash. Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Drive west on US 90 out of Brackettville and the brush flattens toward the Rio Grande. Texas has more than 16,000 historical markers. A handful along this stretch tell the story of an Army unit that fought for eight years under one lieutenant and never lost a man.
RoadHistorical is a Texas historical preservation platform that puts those markers on your map. This guide follows the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts from Eagle Pass to the Pecos River canyon. You'll get the exact spots to stop on your drive.
Fort Duncan: Where the Scouts Signed On
Fort Duncan sits on the edge of Eagle Pass, close to the Rio Grande. The Army built it in 1849. On August 16, 1870, the Seminole-Negro Scouts organized here.
The recruits knew this border well. Their families had escaped slavery, joined the Florida Seminoles, and fought removal for decades. By 1870 they lived across the river in Mexico. They fought raiders along the Rio Grande under a deal with the Mexican government.
The U.S. Army offered pay and rations. They crossed back into Texas. The City of Eagle Pass bought the fort grounds in 1938, and you can walk them today as a park.
Fort Duncan: 400 Bliss St., Eagle Pass, TX
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
The Camp at Fort Clark
Seminole Scout Camp on Fort Clark marks the ground where the scouts and their families lived. They called it "the camp." They built jacal homes of wattle and daub with thatched roofs. They dug dams and irrigation ditches along Las Moras Creek so they could farm.
The camp's story starts with John Horse. He was born in Spanish Florida in 1812 to a Black mother and a Seminole father. He fought in the Second Seminole War. In late 1849 he and Chief Coacoochee, known as Wild Cat, led their people out of Indian Territory toward freedom in Mexico.
The band rested at Las Moras Spring in early July 1850. John Horse came back to Texas when the scout detachment formed. In 1876 he survived an ambush near his marker. It was the third attempt on his life. He died in Mexico City in 1882, still pleading for his people's land.
Seminole Scout Camp on Fort Clark: US 90, Brackettville, TX
John Horse: Travis Road, Brackettville, TX
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
The Pecos River Fight That Earned Three Medals of Honor
Medal of Honor Fight, 1875 stands at the US 90 overlook above the Pecos River canyon near Comstock. In April 1875, Lt. John L. Bullis rode out of Fort Clark with three scouts. Sgt. John Ward, Pvt. Pompey Factor, and Trumpeter Isaac Payne went with him.
On April 25 they caught up with about 30 Comanche raiders driving dozens of horses. Outgunned, the scouts pulled back. Then Bullis's horse bolted and stranded him. Factor and Payne laid down cover fire. Ward rode in and rescued his lieutenant. All three scouts received the Medal of Honor.
Down the highway in Del Rio, the Seminole-Negro Scouts marker sums up their record. They could track raiders for months on meager rations, rattlesnakes included. In eight years of fighting under Bullis, not one scout was killed.
Medal of Honor Fight, 1875: US 90 scenic overlook at Pecos River canyon, Comstock, TX
Seminole-Negro Scouts: S. Main St., Del Rio, TX
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
Where the Scouts Rest
Seminole Indian Scouts' Cemetery lies about a mile and a half southwest of the old camp. It opened on the Fort Clark reservation on September 1, 1872. Four Medal of Honor recipients lie here: Adam Paine, Isaac Payne, John Ward, and Pompey Factor.
The plate on the back of the marker names more scouts. Look for John Bowlegs, Billy July, and Renty Grayson. The Army disbanded the unit in 1914. Most families had to leave the fort, and the land they'd been promised never came through. Many stayed in the Brackettville area anyway.
Their commander lived out his life in San Antonio. The Bullis House went up in 1909 for Gen. John Lapham Bullis. He took command of the scouts in 1873 and lived here until his death in 1911. Nearby Camp Bullis carries his name.
When you stop at the cemetery and read those names, you're taking part in preservation. The scouts' record only survives if people keep showing up.
Seminole Indian Scouts' Cemetery: Brackettville, TX (map pin)
The Bullis House: 621 Pierce Ave., San Antonio, TX
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
How RoadHistorical Finds These Markers
Discovery Mode alerts you as you drive past a marker, so the Pecos River overlook doesn't slip by at highway speed. The AI Tour Guide answers the questions a plaque can't, like what happened to the scouts' families after 1914.
Offline mode matters out here. Cell coverage gets thin west of Del Rio, and RoadHistorical keeps working without it.
Start Discovering Texas History Today
RoadHistorical is free to download on iPhone and Android. Download it here and turn on Discovery Mode before your next drive. Android users can download RoadHistorical from Google Play.
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