HR13 - Honoring the United Warrior Band of the Seminole Nation/John Horse Band.

      H.R. No. 13       R E S O L U T I O N          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