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Parker and the Articles of Surrender at Appomattox, Virginia
Ely Parker
| Grant's Staff; Ely S. Parker is seated on far left |
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| Library of Congress Picture |
A non-citizen
Parker
was educated as a lawyer, but being an Indian had been unable to sit before the bar, as he was not a citizen. He latter became
an engineer for the U.S. Treasury Dept. and was sent to Galena, Illinois to superintend
the construction of the customhouse.
In Galena,
Parker met Grant, an obscure ex army Captain working as a clerk in his brother’s store. The two men became friends and
during the war Grant made a position for the able Parker on his staff. At the time of the surrender Parker was a Lieutenant
Colonel, but received the rank of Brevet Brigadier General after the War.
| General Ely Parker |
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| (Headstone Photograph) |
Lieutenant Colonel Ely Parker made the formal ink copy of General Grant’s
letter that spelled out the terms of surrender. “Having finished it, I brought it to General Grant, who signed
it, sealed it and then handed it to General Lee.” Lt. Colonel Ely Parker
At the surrender meeting, seeing that Parker was an American Indian,
General Lee supposedly remarked to Parker, “I am glad to see one real American here.” Parker later
stated, “I shook his hand and said, We are all Americans.”
Among members of Grant’s Staff, Parker was known for his fine
handwriting, his knowledge of the law, his sense of humor, and as a good fellow to have around in a fight. Parker once described
himself as “a savage Jack Falstaff of 200 weight.”
Sources: National
Park Service; Appomattox Court House National Historic Park
Try the Search Engine for Related Studies: General Ely Parker Appomattox Court House Civil War Articles
of Surrender Terms of Surrender Documents of Surrender General Robert E Lee General U S Grant Native American Indian Chief
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