Bill Text: TX HR13 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the United Warrior Band of the Seminole Nation/John Horse Band.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2025-03-06 - Reported enrolled [HR13 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HR13-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 13 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Members of the United Warrior Band of the Seminole | ||
| Nation/John Horse Band take great pride in their rich history; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the early 18th century, Spanish Florida welcomed | ||
| both African Americans escaping slavery and Seminoles moving away | ||
| from encroaching colonialism in Alabama and Georgia; the two | ||
| imperiled groups intermingled, and people with Seminole cultural | ||
| traditions and African forebears eventually became known as Black | ||
| Seminoles; after the United States purchased Florida in 1819, | ||
| President Andrew Jackson waged the Second Seminole War to drive out | ||
| the Seminoles and Black Seminoles; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Black Seminole hero John Horse, a famed warrior and | ||
| diplomat, resettled his people in Indian Territory in the 1840s; | ||
| life there proved precarious, with the threat of re-enslavement by | ||
| the Creeks as well as by Whites; in 1848, the acting U.S. attorney | ||
| general ruled that the Black Seminoles were property that could be | ||
| reclaimed; John Horse and his ally, Seminole Chief Coacoochee, led | ||
| their followers across the Red River into the frontier, and they | ||
| camped near Waco, Fredericksburg, and Fort Duncan in Texas before | ||
| finding greater safety in Mexico; in the ensuing years, many of the | ||
| Black Seminoles aided the Mexican Army's defense of the border, and | ||
| they were rewarded with a land grant; Mr. Horse reportedly attained | ||
| the rank of colonel; and | ||
| WHEREAS, After the Civil War, the U.S. Army began recruiting | ||
| experienced Black Seminole warriors from Mexico to help battle | ||
| raids along the border; the Seminole Negro Indian Scout Detachment | ||
| was established in 1870, and the scouts were instrumental in | ||
| quelling hostilities on the Texas frontier; they engaged in 26 | ||
| campaigns, and several received the Medal of Honor for their valor; | ||
| many went on to serve alongside the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Duncan | ||
| and Fort Clark; while John Horse did not join the scouts, he served | ||
| as an advisor and as an interpreter during negotiations with Indian | ||
| tribes; he died in Mexico City in 1882, during a mission to settle a | ||
| dispute over Black Seminole land; and | ||
| WHEREAS, John Horse and the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts | ||
| played pivotal roles in the early history of the Lone Star State, | ||
| and it is indeed fitting to recognize the United Warrior Band of the | ||
| Seminole Nation/John Horse Band for celebrating and preserving a | ||
| remarkable legacy of courage, resilience, and independence; now, | ||
| therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor the United Warrior Band of the Seminole | ||
| Nation/John Horse Band and extend to the members sincere best | ||
| wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the | ||
| Texas House of Representatives. | ||
| Morales of Maverick | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 13 was adopted by the House on March | ||
| 6, 2025, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
