A Seneca Indian in the Union Army

Sergeant Parker's Civil War letters provide an important glimpse of the experiences of the average Indian soldier during that great conflict. "Newt," as he called himself, was the 3rd Sergeant and Color Bearer of Company D, 132nd New York State Volunteer Infantry. He was stationed in the vicinity of New Bern, North Carolina, from 1863 to 1865, guarding the railroads at that major transportation center. He served with 24 other Iroquois in an integrated unit popularly called "the Tuscarora Company.". This first person account by an educated Native American not only describes recruitment, training, company life, and combat, but also deals with the harsh realities of war including racial prejudice in recruitment, loneliness, and deaths of trusted comrades. Parker was one of a handful of Seneca in this period of time thoroughly versed in both Indian and non-Indian worlds. Because he was the best educated Indian in the company, Parker's responsibility was not just to keep his wife Sara Adelaide Jemison or other family members informed, but also was to report on the momentous events occurring in Dixie and on the well-being of the Iroquois men at war. All this makes Parker's letters of unusual value.