The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-03-27
Boston Education Magazine.
A Remarkable History.
Some Account of the Federal
Officer Who Engrossed
General Grants Terms
of Surrender at

M'DoSALD FURMAN, RAMSEY, S C..

During the last few years, l have
had some most pleasant correspon-
dence with a gentleman who, during
a portion of the Confederate war,
was General Grants military secre
tary. Early in 1863 he entered the
volunteer service, and was mustered
out a brevet brigadier general at the
close of the wal Besides being
General Grants military secretary, he
was also assistant Adjntant General
on his staff When General Lee
surrendered, at Appomattox, this
gentleman engrossed General Grants
terms of surrender These facts
alone would make him a person Of
much interest, but there are other
facts connected with him which
double the interest, for he is not only
a full blooded Indian, bat is also a
celebrated Indian Sachem. Doubt
less, most Of my readers will start
with surprise at this statement and
exclaim "impossible,' but it is true.
The English name OF this chief is
Ely S. Parker; his Indian name is
Done ho-ga-wa, which signifies
"Keeper Of the Door" He is the
Chief Sachem of the remnants of the
Six Nations or lroquo;s in New
York State, of which interesting
people there are some five thousand
living in that commonwealth.
General Parker is of the Wolf
clan of the Senecas,-the same clan
and nation which produced the Illus
trious orator, Red Jacket. Ills birth
occurred on the Tonawanda Reser-
walton, Genesee County. n Y. After
the close of the Confederate war, he
entered the regular army as second
Lieutenant i'm the Second United
States cavalry and rose to the
position of Brigadier General. From
1869 to 1872. he filed the important
position of Commissioner Of Indian
Affairs. stationed at Washington
He is the first and. IL fact, the only
full blooded Indian, - far as | am
aware, who has ever SLED a political
office in the United States. In 1872,
he served his connection with
governmental affairs. He has been
Chief Sachem Of TIE New York
| Iroouois since 1852, and succeeded
John Blacksmith in that Office Not
only is General Parker an authority
on Indians matters, but is also y Of
the foremost Indian in the United
States. He is a gentleman of
culture and wide experience, not
only in Indianand military matters,
but also as a civil engineer In
1878, he married the daughter Of
Colonel Sacket Of the New York
Cavalry, and resides Cor did a year
or so ago. in New York City.
The General comes from an Indian
family of which the historic Seneca
nation can justly be proud. The late
Nicholson II. Parker Of the Cattarau-
ems Reservation, New York, was his
brother, and a man of force and
influence among the Iroquois of that
State. He died in May, 1892. His
Indian name, Gi-an twaka, whiqo
signifed the planter" was the
name borne by Cornplanter, and Mr..
Parker held the Scholarship filled by
that distinguished warrior. He was
also, for several years, United States
Interpreter.
Miss Caroline Parker, the Gen
erals sister, married the late John
Mountpleasant, the head Chief Of
the Tuscaroras. Mrs. Mountpleas-
ant, whose death occurred in March,
1892, was a lady of superior attain
ments, and it has been said of her,
that she was the "most remarkable
woman Of the I-oquois Indians"
Chief Mountpleasant's Indian name
was Dah.gah.yah-dent, which means
Failing Woods; that of Mrs.
Mountpleasant was Ge'go.sa-seh,
which signifies ovid Cat" In a
letter to me, General Parker gives an
interesting account of this name; he
says it "was once borne by the last
ruler Of the Neuter Nation, who was
a woman. 1t was during her reign
that the Hurons proposed to violate
the neutrality Of her territory in their
wars with the Iroquois Confederacy.
She disclosed the conspiracy to the
Senecas, who punished the Neuter
Nation by extcrminating them Wild
Cat they adopted and made her the
equal of their sachems and chiefs,
and when she died they retained her
name among them. | have, however,
never heard of its being borne by
any woman since her day, until it
was bestowed upon my sister by the
sachcms and chiefs of the Seneca
nation ON account of her conspicuous
y