Bill Text: TX HR1007 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the centennial of the death of frontier hero U.S. Army Brigadier General John Lapham Bullis.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2011-04-15 - Reported enrolled [HR1007 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR1007-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1007 | ||
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| 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. | ||
| McClendon | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1007 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on April 7, 2011. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
