Each month, the Defense Department and the nation honor the contributions and sacrifices Americans have made, particularly through military service and beyond.
It's an opportunity to recognize those who, through determination and expertise, shaped the nation's history. Ely S. Parker exemplified this through his ascent to a distinguished rank in the Union Army during the Civil War, earned through resilience and warfighting prowess.
Parker, known tribally as Hasanoanda, was born in 1828 on the Tonawanda Reservation in Indian Falls, New York, within the Tonawanda Seneca tribe. His father, William Parker, a Seneca chief, had fought for the United States in the War of 1812, instilling a legacy of service.
Fluent in English and Seneca—an Iroquoian language tied to the Seneca Tribe, one of six in the Iroquois Confederacy alongside Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora, and Mohawk—Parker demonstrated early adaptability and intellect.
As a young man, he worked in a law firm in Ellicottville, New York, sharpening his skills before seeking to take the bar examination. Denied due to citizenship laws of the time—later resolved by the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924—he pivoted to a new path through perseverance.
A pivotal meeting with Lewis Henry Morgan, a lawyer and anthropologist studying Iroquois customs, opened doors. Their collaboration, built on mutual respect and Parker's deep knowledge, led Morgan to secure his admission to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, for engineering studies.
As an engineer, Parker applied his expertise to critical infrastructure, including maintenance on the Erie Canal, showcasing technical precision and readiness that would later serve the military.
Commissioned into the Army in early 1863, Parker became chief engineer of the 7th Division during the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, from May 18 to July 4, 1863. Under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, his engineering acumen bolstered the Union's warfighting success. Grant, impressed by Parker's skill, appointed him adjutant for the Chattanooga Campaign in Tennessee, from September 21 to November 25, 1863.
Parker followed Grant through the Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from May 4 to June 24, 1864. At Petersburg, he earned the role of military secretary to Grant, rising to lieutenant colonel and drafting key correspondence with meticulous care.
Present at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, when Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered, Parker helped craft the surrender documents, cementing the Union's victory. "Lee stared at me for a moment. He extended his hand and said, 'I am glad to see one real American here.' I shook his hand and said, 'We are all Americans,'" he recalled. That day, he was brevetted brigadier general, a rank earned through exceptional service.
Post-war, Parker remained Grant's military secretary, contributing to the Southern Treaty Commission to renegotiate terms with tribes that had allied with the Confederacy, reflecting unity of purpose in stabilizing the nation. He resigned from the Army on April 26, 1869.
When Grant became president, he appointed Parker commissioner of Indian affairs from 1869 to 1871. Parker architected Grant's peace policy, reducing military conflicts and aiding tribes' transition to reservations through strategic leadership.
Parker died in Fairfield, Connecticut, on August 31, 1895, leaving a legacy of merit and service. His story inspired portrayals in the 2012 film Lincoln and novels Grant Comes East and Never Call Retreat.