Adam Paine, or Adam Payne, (1843 – January 1, 1877) was a

Black Seminole The Black Seminoles, or Afro-Seminoles, are an ethnic group of mixed Native American and African origin associated with the Seminole people in Florida and Oklahoma. They are mostly blood descendants of the Seminole people, free Africans, and e ...

who served as a United States Army Indian Scout and received America's highest military decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

—for his actions in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...

of the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

Biography

Payne enlisted in the Army at

Fort Duncan Fort Duncan was a United States Army base, set up to protect the first U.S. settlement on the Rio Grande near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas. History A line of seven army posts was established in 1848–49 after the Mexican War to protec ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in November 1873, and joined other Black Seminoles known as the " Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts".

Medal of Honor actions

Col. R. S. Mackenzie's main group from the

4th U.S. Cavalry The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exis ...

was moving towards the Texas-New Mexico border in the Staked Plains region on September 4, 1874. A day's march ahead of the group,

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Payne and three other scouts were ambushed by twenty-five

Comanches The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma ...

. The horse leading the Comanche's charge was knocked down by Payne's swinging rifle and the scouts began to fight the enemy natives. At one point, Payne fought six Comanches at once. All four scouts broke free and returned to camp. Mackenzie placed the 4th Cavalry on heightened alert. From September 26, to September 27, 1874, near

Palo Duro Canyon Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. The second largest canyon system in the United States, it is roughly long and has an average width of , but ...

, a tributary of the Red River, Payne participated in the

Battle of Palo Duro Canyon The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon was a military confrontation and a significant United States victory during the Red River War. The battle occurred on September 28, 1874, when several U.S. Army companies under Ranald S. Mackenzie attacked a larg ...

. Payne " ndered invaluable service to Col. R. S. Mackenzie, 4th U.S. Cavalry, during this engagement." The scouts had tracked the Comanches to their camp in the Palo Duro Canyon. The 4th cavalry took the Comanches by surprise and captured or destroyed 1,400 horses and other camp equipment and supplies just prior to the onset of winter. Mackenzie recommended seven white soldiers of the 4th cavalry and Payne for the Medal of Honor. A year later, on October 13, 1875, Private Payne was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Palo Duro Canyon.

Death

Paine was shot to death on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

1877 by a fellow Medal of Honor recipient, Claron A. Windus,

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...

Brackettville, Texas Brackettville is a city in Kinney County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,341 at the 2020 census, down from 1,688 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kinney County. History Founded in 1852 as "Las Moras" (the name of a ne ...

, who shot Payne instead of attempting to arrest him as a murder suspect. Paine died at age 33 or 34 and was buried at the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery in

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Private, Indian Scouts. Place and date: Canyon Blanco tributary of the Red River, Tex., 26-September 27, 1874. Entered service at: Fort Duncan, Texas. Birth: Florida. Date of issue: October 13, 1875. Citation:

Rendered invaluable service to Col. R. S. Mackenzie, 4th U.S. Cavalry, during this engagement.

Notes

References

*Glasrud, ed., Bruce A
''Brothers to the Buffalo Soldiers: Perspectives on the African American Militia and Volunteers, 1865–1917''
Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2011. . *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paine, Adam 1843 births 1877 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Native American United States military personnel Black Seminole people United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Florida United States Army Indian Scouts American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor 20th-century African-American military personnel 20th-century Native American people 19th-century Seminole people