The descendants of escaped slaves and Florida's Seminole Indians, the Black Seminole Indian Scouts were known as unparalleled trackers and fearless combatants. The U.S. Army organized the scout unit in 1870, and the scouts were stationed at Fort Clark in 1872, when the cemetery was first established.

Four of the scouts buried here - Adam Payne (Paine), Isaac Payne, John Ward and Pompey Factor - received the Medal of Honor. Look for the small carving at the center of the soldiers' tombstones of a reproduction of the Army's version of the medal, which has a five-pointed star, surrounded by a wreath and containing a representation of the goddess Minerva. When visiting this site, set aside time to see the museum at Fort Clark to gain a more thorough understanding of the Buffalo Soldiers and Texas military history.

Watch the following video to learn more about the Seminole Indians Scouts and their descendants who live in Brackettville. This video was produced for inclusion in the African Americans in Texas mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. For more information about the mobile tour and African American cultural heritage in Texas, visit the African American Heritage theme page at the following link.