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Thieves steal medals awarded to famous Indian Civil War hero

hieves have stolen a pair of presidential medals awarded to a Seneca Indian from western New York who wrote the final draft of the surrender terms that ended the Civil War.

The medals were awarded after the war to Union officer Ely Parker, the son of an Iroquois chief who became General Ulysses S. Grant's right-hand man during the war.

Officials at the Niagara County Historical Society say the medals were stolen late Saturday afternoon from a Civil War display in one of the organization's buildings in Lockport. The head of the historical society says the items are "extremely valuable."
Parker was told he couldn't join the Union Army because he was an American Indian. Grant, his lifelong friend, intervened on his behalf and Parker rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Read entire article at NBC affiliate