He was born at Macedon, New York, the eldest of the seven children of Dr. Abram R. and Lydia P. (Lapham) Bullis.
[3] He then was imprisoned for 10 months at the brutal Libby Prison in Virginia until he was exchanged for a Confederate soldier in the spring of 1864.
Distinguished enlisted men or experienced non-commissioned officers were offered subaltern ranks (ensign, lieutenant, or captain), and officers were granted promotions to field rank (major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel).
In 1873, Bullis was promoted to First Lieutenant, and re-assigned to command the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts at Fort Clark, Texas.
From 1893 to 1897 he was stationed in Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, where he served as an Indian Agent to the Puebloes and Jicarilla Apaches.
On April 5, Lieutenant Bullis and three Seminole-Negro Indian scouts (Sergeant John Ward, Trumpeter Issac Payne, and Private Pompey Factor) went out on patrol to intercept a band of raiders who had attacked a stage coach.
[9] On April 18, Bullis and his men came upon a band of 25-30 Lipan Apache driving a herd of 75 stolen horses towards Mexico.
Bullis, on foot after his horse reared him off,[10] was saved by Sergeant Ward, who picked him up on horseback at a trot.
Bullis recommended Sergeant Ward, Trumpeter Payne, and Private Factor for the Medal of Honor, which they received on May 28, 1875.
[13] John Lapham Bullis was buried in a plot at the San Antonio National Cemetery along with 281 Buffalo Soldiers.
In 1881, Bullis received a pair of engraved presentation swords (one gold and one silver) from the grateful citizens of Kinney County, in West Texas for his services.