GOD & TEXAS: Black Seminoles

Down a short, dusty road off of RM 3348, you will find the grave of Isaac Payne. A bold Cross is engraved over his name. He and several other US military Medal of Honor recipients are buried in this remote Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery three miles south of Brackettville, in Kinney County, Texas.

Payne was a trumpeter for the U.S. Army following the Civil War. He earned his Medal of Honor for gallantry in action while serving in the 24th United States Infantry under the command of Lt. (later General) John L. Bullis. His citation read: “With three other men, he participated in a charge against 25 hostiles while on a scouting patrol.” 

Isaac Payne was one of about 100 Black Seminole Scouts who were instrumental in protecting the Texas frontier from rebellious Indians in the late 1900s. Known for their bravery, the Scouts fought in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, as well as the battles at Devils River, Lake Quemado, Zaragosa in Mexico, the Big Bend, and numerous border clashes. But who were the Black Seminoles? 

Historians trace the Black Seminoles back to the 13 colonies before the American Revolution. After long years of being enslaved to the British plantation owners, many of them escaped to Spanish Florida and settled among the Seminole Indians. The Seminoles regarded the newcomers as vassals and limited their freedom, too. 

With the enactment of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Seminoles, along with the Black Seminoles, were forced to relocate to Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. When the Black Seminoles found themselves again subservient to the other tribes, those who could fled to the State of Coahuila in northern Mexico. Here they were again dominated by the border tribes. 

In their struggle for freedom, the Black Seminoles became skilled in the war methods of the American Indians and were conversant in multiple languages. After the Civil War, they were recruited by the US Army to help defeat the rebellious tribes that were causing havoc along the Texas frontier. They were trusted and noble combatants and received considerable acclaim for their heroism and courage. Because the Scouts were assigned to Fort Clark near Brackettville, many Black Seminoles settled there, and thus the cemetery. 

The culture of the Black Seminoles has been well documented and reveals that their monotheistic religion was strongly influenced by Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Native American customs. Though they blended African and Christian rituals together, the work of Christ on the Cross was revered. Some historians report that they were dutiful in Christian rites and often used iced tea for Communion because they abstained from the fruit of the vine. 

When Isaac Payne was laid to rest, the Cross on his headstone provided a testimony of his faith. Though his people had been enslaved for much of their existence, he knew that through the Cross they had found true freedom. As we read in Galatians 5:1 NIV, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” 

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