The Life and Legacy of Pompey Factor
Black Seminole Scout • Medal of Honor Recipient
Black Seminole Scout • Medal of Honor Recipient
Seminole Negro Indian Scout
Medal of Honor Recipient – May 28, 1875
c. 1849 – 1928
Born in Arkansas
Buried in the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery – Brackettville, Texas
Courage on the Borderlands
Pompey Factor served as a U.S. Army Indian Scout during the Indian Wars, a time when the American frontier was both violent and uncertain. Born into a world shaped by slavery and displacement, he was one of the few who carved a path forward through sheer courage and skill.
On April 25, 1875, near Eagle’s Nest Crossing on the Rio Grande, Factor joined Lieutenant John L. Bullis and two other scouts in pursuit of Lipan Apaches. Heavily outnumbered, the group was forced into a firefight. When Bullis was unhorsed under fire, Factor risked his life to help him mount another horse and escape, making a narrow and heroic retreat with his fellow scouts.
For his bravery, Pompey Factor was awarded the Medal of Honor. He is one of only four Black Seminole Indian Scouts ever to receive the distinction.
A Legacy of Loyalty
Factor lived to see old age, eventually settling in Brackettville, Texas. His courage, like that of so many Black Seminole Scouts, was nearly erased from history. Today, we honor his service not just with medals, but with memory.
“He did not ask what was fair. He did what was right.”
Sources:
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Freedom on the Border by Kevin Mulroy
National Archives Military Service Files
Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association
Medal of Honor Recipient – May 28, 1875
c. 1849 – 1928
Born in Arkansas
Buried in the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery – Brackettville, Texas
Courage on the Borderlands
Pompey Factor served as a U.S. Army Indian Scout during the Indian Wars, a time when the American frontier was both violent and uncertain. Born into a world shaped by slavery and displacement, he was one of the few who carved a path forward through sheer courage and skill.
On April 25, 1875, near Eagle’s Nest Crossing on the Rio Grande, Factor joined Lieutenant John L. Bullis and two other scouts in pursuit of Lipan Apaches. Heavily outnumbered, the group was forced into a firefight. When Bullis was unhorsed under fire, Factor risked his life to help him mount another horse and escape, making a narrow and heroic retreat with his fellow scouts.
For his bravery, Pompey Factor was awarded the Medal of Honor. He is one of only four Black Seminole Indian Scouts ever to receive the distinction.
A Legacy of Loyalty
Factor lived to see old age, eventually settling in Brackettville, Texas. His courage, like that of so many Black Seminole Scouts, was nearly erased from history. Today, we honor his service not just with medals, but with memory.
“He did not ask what was fair. He did what was right.”
Sources:
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Freedom on the Border by Kevin Mulroy
National Archives Military Service Files
Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association
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