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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, May 26, 2011, marks the centennial of the death of |
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United States Army Brigadier General John Lapham Bullis, commander |
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of the famed Black Seminole Scouts and a hero of the Texas frontier; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Macedon, New York, in 1841, John Bullis |
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enlisted in the 126th New York Volunteer Infantry in 1862 and was |
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wounded and captured twice during the Civil War, in the battles of |
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Harpers Ferry and Gettysburg; following 10 months in the notorious |
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Libby Prison, he was released in an exchange of combatants and was |
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commissioned as a captain in the 118th Infantry, U.S. Colored |
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Troops, a volunteer regiment composed entirely of African American |
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enlisted men and white officers; and |
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WHEREAS, General Bullis briefly ran a business on the |
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Mississippi River after the war and was commissioned in the Regular |
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Army as a second lieutenant in 1867; although many other white |
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officers scorned African American regiments, he served with the |
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41st Infantry and then requested a transfer to the new 24th |
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Infantry, a consolidation of three Colored Infantry regiments; he |
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was stationed at Fort Clark in the borderlands, where property |
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raids and attacks on settlers were a regular occurrence, and |
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assumed command of a remarkable group of scouts, skillful trackers |
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descended from escaped slaves who had intermarried with members of |
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the Seminole tribe and eventually settled in the Santa Rosa |
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Mountains of northern Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, Resolute and resourceful, General Bullis earned the |
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nickname "the Whirlwind," leading the Black Seminole Scouts during |
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the Red River War and on numerous missions to track raiders from the |
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Comanche and Apache tribes; in one celebrated battle, he and three |
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scouts took on more than two dozen Lipan Apaches before they ran low |
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on ammunition and were forced to retreat; General Bullis's horse |
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was lost, but his comrades returned for him under fire and he was |
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able to leap up behind his sergeant and escape on his steed; the |
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scouts were awarded Congressional Medals of Honor; and |
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WHEREAS, The stoicism, valor, and fairness General Bullis |
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demonstrated won the complete loyalty of his men; he lived off the |
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land and suffered severe privations alongside them, and they gladly |
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followed him even on a pursuit all the way to New Mexico Territory, |
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which kept them in the saddle for 80 days and more than 1,200 miles; |
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over the course of 8 years, he led his scouts in 26 battles, yet not |
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one was killed or seriously injured; he received brevet citations |
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for his gallant service, as well as recognition from the Texas |
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Legislature, and the people of West Texas and residents of Kinney |
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County showed their gratitude by presenting him with engraved |
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swords; and |
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WHEREAS, Once the area had become comparatively calm, General |
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Bullis was transferred to Indian Territory, and he was later |
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appointed the paymaster at Fort Sam Houston, with the rank of major; |
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he served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and in the |
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Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection; the day before his |
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retirement in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt promoted him to |
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brigadier general in recognition of his outstanding achievements; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, John Bullis settled in San Antonio and established |
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himself as a successful businessman, investing in real estate and |
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the Shafter silver mines, and he helped to promote the settlement of |
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West Texas; in addition, he remained a stalwart advocate for the |
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Black Seminole Scouts, trying in vain to obtain for them the |
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military benefits and land grants that the federal government had |
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promised; he died in San Antonio on May 26, 1911, and is buried in |
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the San Antonio National Cemetery; a military camp just north of San |
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Antonio was named Camp Bullis in his honor in 1917; and |
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WHEREAS, An extraordinary figure in the history of the Lone |
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Star State, Brigadier General John Bullis fought bravely to secure |
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the frontier, and he set an inspiring example of integrity and |
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dedication; it is indeed fitting to commemorate the centennial of |
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his passing; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 26, 2011, as Brigadier General |
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John L. Bullis Day and encourage all Texans to learn more about his |
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life and service to the Lone Star State; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared |
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for the Shafter Silver Mine John L. Bullis Library at the STAR DAY |
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Foundation, for the Fort Sam Houston Museum, and for the New York |
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Macedon Public Library Bullis Collection as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |