By Carolina Pardo — When Robert E. Lee went to negotiate his terms of surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, he stopped at the sight of a brown man amongst the Union generals. Everyone held their breath waiting for Lee’s response. The Confederate general extended a hand and said, “I am glad to see one real American here,” to Ely S. Parker, Grant’s Native American military secretary. Parker replied, “We are all Americans.” Although General Lee recognized Parker ...
