During the surrender of Appomattox Court House Surrender in 1865, Robert E. Lee met with Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. When Lee learned that Grant’s adjutant, Ely S. Parker, was a member of the Seneca Nation, he remarked, “I am glad to see one real American here.” Parker shook Lee’s hand and replied, “We are all Americans.” This photograph is tied to one of the most enduring moments from the final days of the American Civil War. On April 9, 1865, during the surrender meeting at Appomattox Court House, Confederate General Robert E. Lee met Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation who served on the staff of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. According to Parker’s later recollection, Lee remarked, “I am glad to see one real American here.” Parker replied, “We are all Americans.” The exchange has been remembered for generations because it reflected both the complicated nature of American identity and the spirit of reconciliation emerging as the nation began to recover from four years of conflict. Parker was an extraordinary figure beyond his role at Appomattox. Trained as a civil engineer, he worked on major public projects before joining the Union Army. At the surrender meeting, he drafted the documents that Lee ultimately signed. In 1869, he went on to become the first Native American appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Renowned for his exceptional handwriting and skill in preparing official documents, Parker was frequently entrusted by Grant with important correspondence and military paperwork. The surrender terms written in Parker’s hand became some of the most significant documents in American history, formally ending the resistance of the Confederacy’s largest army and signaling the imminent conclusion of the Civil War.(Historic Vids)