Pompey Factor, former slave, scout for the United States Army and Congressional Medal of Honor winner, was born in Arkansas in 1849 to Hardy Factor, a black Seminole chief and an unknown Biloxi Indian woman. By the end of that 2nd Seminole War (1835-1842), most … Read MorePompey Factor (1849-1928)
The Texas Seminole Scouts were descendants of runaway slaves who fled into Florida before the Civil War. The offer of freedom by the Spanish greatly encouraged South Carolina and Georgia slaves to vote for freedom with their feet. The blacks cooperated and joined the Seminoles … Read MoreTexas Seminole Scouts
Isaiah Dorman was born free in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1832 although the precise date of his birth is unknown. The date of his death, June 25, 1876, however, will be both long admired by many and reviled by others in American history. On that day, this … Read MoreIsaiah Dorman (1832-1876)
George Jordan, buffalo soldier and Medal of Honor recipient, hailed from rural Williamson County in central Tennessee. Enlisting in the 38th Infantry Regiment on 25 December 1866, the short and illiterate Jordan proved a good soldier. In January 1870, he transferred to the 9th Cavalry’s … Read MoreGeorge Jordan (ca. 1849-1904)
Emanuel Stance, the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor following the Civil War, was born in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, in 1847. Prior to joining the Ninth Cavalry in 1866, Stance was a “farmer,” often a euphemism in Army records for former … Read MoreEmanuel Stance (1847?-1887)
