82R16315 JEN-D
By: McClendon H.R. No. 1007
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, May 26, 2011, marks the centennial of the death of
United States Army Brigadier General John Lapham Bullis, commander
of the famed Black Seminole Scouts and a hero of the Texas frontier;
and
WHEREAS, Born in Macedon, New York, in 1841, John Bullis
enlisted in the 126th New York Volunteer Infantry in 1862 and was
wounded and captured twice during the Civil War, in the battles of
Harpers Ferry and Gettysburg; following 10 months in the notorious
Libby Prison, he was released in an exchange of combatants and was
commissioned as a captain in the 118th Infantry, U.S. Colored
Troops, a volunteer regiment composed entirely of African American
enlisted men and white officers; and
WHEREAS, General Bullis briefly ran a business on the
Mississippi River after the war and was commissioned in the Regular
Army as a second lieutenant in 1867; although many other white
officers scorned African American regiments, he served with the
41st Infantry and then requested a transfer to the new 24th
Infantry, a consolidation of three Colored Infantry regiments; he
was stationed at Fort Clark in the borderlands, where property
raids and attacks on settlers were a regular occurrence, and
assumed command of a remarkable group of scouts, skillful trackers
descended from escaped slaves who had intermarried with members of
the Seminole tribe and eventually settled in the Santa Rosa
Mountains of northern Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Resolute and resourceful, General Bullis earned the
nickname "the Whirlwind," leading the Black Seminole Scouts during
the Red River War and on numerous missions to track raiders from the
Comanche and Apache tribes; in one celebrated battle, he and three
scouts took on more than two dozen Lipan Apaches before they ran low
on ammunition and were forced to retreat; General Bullis's horse
was lost, but his comrades returned for him under fire and he was
able to leap up behind his sergeant and escape on his steed; the
scouts were awarded Congressional Medals of Honor; and
WHEREAS, The stoicism, valor, and fairness General Bullis
demonstrated won the complete loyalty of his men; he lived off the
land and suffered severe privations alongside them, and they gladly
followed him even on a pursuit all the way to New Mexico Territory,
which kept them in the saddle for 80 days and more than 1,200 miles;
over the course of 8 years, he led his scouts in 26 battles, yet not
one was killed or seriously injured; he received brevet citations
for his gallant service, as well as recognition from the Texas
Legislature, and the people of West Texas and residents of Kinney
County showed their gratitude by presenting him with engraved
swords; and
WHEREAS, Once the area had become comparatively calm, General
Bullis was transferred to Indian Territory, and he was later
appointed the paymaster at Fort Sam Houston, with the rank of major;
he served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War and in the
Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection; the day before his
retirement in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt promoted him to
brigadier general in recognition of his outstanding achievements;
and
WHEREAS, John Bullis settled in San Antonio and established
himself as a successful businessman, investing in real estate and
the Shafter silver mines, and he helped to promote the settlement of
West Texas; in addition, he remained a stalwart advocate for the
Black Seminole Scouts, trying in vain to obtain for them the
military benefits and land grants that the federal government had
promised; he died in San Antonio on May 26, 1911, and is buried in
the San Antonio National Cemetery; a military camp just north of San
Antonio was named Camp Bullis in his honor in 1917; and
WHEREAS, An extraordinary figure in the history of the Lone
Star State, Brigadier General John Bullis fought bravely to secure
the frontier, and he set an inspiring example of integrity and
dedication; it is indeed fitting to commemorate the centennial of
his passing; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize May 26, 2011, as Brigadier General
John L. Bullis Day and encourage all Texans to learn more about his
life and service to the Lone Star State; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
for the Shafter Silver Mine John L. Bullis Library at the STAR DAY
Foundation, for the Fort Sam Houston Museum, and for the New York
Macedon Public Library Bullis Collection as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.