150 Years of Honor: The Legacy of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts

This page is dedicated to the brave men who served as Seminole Negro Indian Scouts—a powerful chapter in American and Black Seminole history. Each name listed here represents a story of courage, sacrifice, and perseverance. These scouts navigated the harsh terrain of the Texas frontier, protected communities, and stood as defenders of freedom and survival.
Click on each name below to explore their individual lives, learn about their service, and honor the legacy they left behind. Their stories deserve to be remembered, shared, and celebrated.

Why are these stories important?
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Their stories matter deeply because they highlight the harsh realities faced by the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts. These men were heroes who bravely served a government that had repeatedly failed and marginalized them. In fighting for the United States, they were placed in the impossible position of battling against their own people or other Indigenous groups. This painful choice was driven by survival and the hope of securing a better future for themselves and their families. Their service was both an act of courage and a complicated form of betrayal shaped by the racial and social hierarchies of the time that left Black and Native peoples at the bottom. Navigating this fraught middle ground, they sought safety and opportunity in a society that often rejected them outright. Their legacy forces us to reckon with the difficult compromises marginalized communities have made throughout history to endure and claim dignity even when it meant standing on conflicting sides.

U.S Scouts 
Seminole - Negro Indian Scout Detachment 
Muster Roll 1870-1914

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