good talk

On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee, CSA, resplendent in dress-uniform, rode to Appomattox Courthouse to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant, USA.  Arriving, Lee presented his sword, the humble Grant, who wore a private's uniform, refused.  Grant introduced his Staff to General Lee, one of whom was Lt. Col. Ely Samuel Parker, a full-blooded Seneca of the Iroquois Nations, Lee looked surprised to see a man of color there in such a high position, but accepted Lt. Col. Parker's offered hand, graciously ...I am glad to see one real American here... to which Lt. Col. Parker replied ...We are all Americans...   Ely Samuel Parker (l828 to Aug. 31, 1895) was a Renaissance Man who seamlessly transversed the worlds of Indians and Whites.  Considered the brainiest of Grant's Staff, it was he who penned the Surrender Agreement, Grant's friend before the War, Ulysses put this talented-man to good use.  From a youthful-age, Ely represented the Senecas in treaty disputes, and was invited to dine with President James K. Polk and Mrs. Polk at the White House, at only "18".  In 1848, he became a Mason.  In 1851, he became Grand Sachem of the 6 Nations, the chief representative of the Iroquois in dealing with Washington.  A civil engineer, in 1857, he was appointed Superintendent of lighthouse-construction on the Great Lakes.  Having risen to Brigadier General, Ely remained on Grant's Staff until 1869, resigning to become the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.  He remained an accomplished leader throughout his life