The guns had fallen silent. The air, once filled with the roars of cannons and the shouts of soldiers, now echoed only with the creak of wagon wheels and the distant chirps of birds returning after the storm. The land around Appomattox Court House bore the scars of a war that had divided a nation, torn families apart, and severed friendships.
An aura of mixed emotions settled over the gathered men inside the courthouse. They were there to end the U.S. Civil War.
General Robert E. Lee, leader of the Confederate forces, looked around the room. His eyes, tired from the strain of years of warfare, took in the faces of the Union officers. Among them, he noticed one that stood out - the face of Ely Parker.
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