When North and South met in 1865 at Appomattox Court House to end the Civil War, the official terms of surrender werenât written in the hand of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, or any white soldier. Instead, this momentous event was recorded by General Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca (Iroquois) tribe. At that time, Parker was not only the highest-ranking Native American in the Union Army but also the Grand Sachem, or chief representative, of the Haudenosauneeâthe powerful Iroquois Confederacy.
Though little known today, Ely S. Parker (1828â1895) achieved great success in many roles: diplomat, general, engineer, law student, and chief. From negotiating to retain reservation lands to acting as President Grantâs Commissioner of Indian Affairsâthe first Native American to hold that postâParker worked alongside both tribal and federal governments. Though criticized by some of his people for his rise in white society, Parker advocated for Native Americans across the country in the face of discrimination at every stepâseen by some as a traitor, but to others a hero.
This expertly researched, masterfully written biography offers a unique and historical perspective. From award-winning childrenâs book author and Native American scholar Joseph Bruchac comes the fascinating story of a man who walked in two very different worlds, forever caught between them.