Id’d Civil War Rank Straps, Partial Sword Knot and Frock Coat Button and Letter of Commendation Dictated by Gen. William T. Sherman – Col. Peter J. Sullivan 48^th Ohio Infantry – Peter J. Sullivan enlisted in November 1861 at the rank of Lt. Colonel in the 48^th Ohio Infantry; shortly thereafter, he was commissioned into the Field and Staff of that Ohio regiment and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in January 1862. Russell would serve with his regiment, in the western theater of the war, until the Battle of Shiloh – here, Russell would sustain significant wounds and have several horses shot out from under him. As a result of his wounds, Col. Russell would no longer be able to engage in active duty; he resigned from the army in August 1863, but was promoted to the brevet rank of Brigadier General in March 1865. After Shiloh, a fellow officer implied that Russell had acted impetuously, which Sullivan denied; a letter from Gen. Wm. T. Sherman, included in this grouping, assured Col. Sullivan that the General had complete confidence in Sullivan and considered him a brave and honorable officer. This letter appears to have been dictated by Gen. Sherman to an aide, who signed the letter on behalf of the General. Also included with the letter are Col. Sullivan’s double bullion, Colonel of the Infantry rank straps, an Eagle “I” button from Sullivan’s frock coat and a section of Sullivan’s officer’s, bullion sword knot. All of the items remain in very good condition. After the war, Sullivan was appointed Minister to Colombia, and he would serve in that capacity from 1867 to 1869, after which he practiced law.

Peter John Sullivan

Residence was not listed; 40 years old.
Enlisted on 11/23/1861 as a Lieut Colonel.

On 12/8/1861, he was commissioned into Field & Staff Ohio 48th Infantry.
He resigned on 8/7/1863

Promotions:

• Colonel 1/23/1862
• Brig-General 3/13/1865 by Brevet

Born 3/15/1821 in County Cork, Ireland
Died 3/2/1883 in Cincinnati, OH
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH
Gravesite: 20-V-6

(Parents: James & Marry (Murry) Sullivan)

Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:

• Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio
• Heitman: Register of United States Army 1789-1903
• Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue
• Ohio in the War

48th OH Infantry

Organized: State of Ohio at large on 11/1/1861

Mustered out: 5/9/1866

OHIO FORTY-EIGHTH INFANTRY (Three Years) Forty-eighth Infantry. – Cols., Peter J. Sullivan, Job R. Parker; Lieut.-Cols., Joseph W. Lindsay, James R. Lynch; Majs., James S. Wise, Samuel G. W. Peterson. This regiment was organized from the state at large, from Sept. to Dec., 1861, to serve for three years. On the expiration of its term of serv- ice the original members (except veterans) were mustered out and the organization composed of veterans and recruits retained in service until Jan. 17, 1865, when it was consolidated with the 83d Ohio infantry. On July 24, 1865, a battalion of six companies was organized by the consolidation of the 83d and 114th regiments. Two companies, E and F, were mustered out Oct. 14, 1865, by reason of expiration of term of service, and the remaining four companies, A, B, C and D, were retained in service until May 9, 1866, when they were mustered out in ac- cordance with orders from the war department. The following is a list of battles, in which this regiment bore an honorable part, as given in the Official Army Register, Part V, page 126: Shiloh, Tenn.; Corinth, Chickasaw bayou, Miss.; Arkansas Post, Ark.; Port Gibson, Jackson, Champions hill, Big Black river, Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.; Carrion Crow bayou, Sabine cross- roads, La.; Fort Blakely, Ala. The 48th lost about one-third of its members in the battle of Shiloh. In the attack upon Corinth it was among the first organized troops to enter the Confederate works. At Sabine cross-roads, then a mere remnant of its former self, it severely punished the “Crescent regi- ment,” but in turn was overpowered and captured. Source: The Union Army, vol. 2 ************************************************************************ Report of Col. Peter J. Sullivan, Forty-eighth Ohio Infantry, Second Brigade, including operations since December 20, 1862. HDQRS. FORTY-EIGHTH REGT. OHIO VOL. INFANTRY, Vicksburg, Miss., August 4, 1863. SIR: Pursuant to circular dated July 19, 1863, from Maj.-Gen. Ord, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part borne by the Forty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the ever-memorable and eventful campaign just closed with the fall of Vicksburg and Jackson: This regiment, formerly in the command of Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman, was attached to Brig. Gen. A. J. Smith’s division by Special Orders, No. 21, from Maj. Gen. S. A. Hurlbut, dated Fort Pickering, Tenn., December 19, 1862, and by him assigned to said Second Brigade, commanded by Col. W. J. Landram. About this time, consequent on wounds received in the battle of Shiloh, and a severe fall from my horse near Memphis, fracturing my right arm and wrist, while I was in command of Fort Pickering, Tenn., I was placed on detached service by order of Maj. Gen W.T. Sherman, and was continued on said service by a subsequent order (No. 25) from Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant, dated January 25, 1863; consequently the command devolved on Lieut. Col. Job R. Parker. On the 20th of December, 1862, in pursuance of orders, this regiment, numbering 379 enlisted men and 23 commissioned officers for duty, under command of said Lieut. Col. Parker, embarked on board a transport at Fort Pickering, Tenn., and accompanied the expedition down the Mississippi River, under command of. Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman. On December 27, 1862, we landed at the mouth of the Yazoo River, and were immediately advanced with the rest of the troops some 6 miles toward Vicksburg, where we had a successful skirmish with the enemy, without loss to this regiment. For several days succeeding, our brigade was placed in reserve, and on January 2, 1863, received orders to re-embark at 2 a.m., which was duly effected and without loss to the regiment. From the Yazoo River we were conveyed in transports to White River, thence into the Arkansas, and on January 10 were landed at Arkansas Post (Fort Hindman), which was by our forces immediately closely invested by land, and water. January 11,1863.–The forenoon was occupied in making dispositions of the United States, troops preparatory to an attack on the enemy. This regiment was placed in reserve, and we were informed by the brigade commander that he did not much expect to need it. Half an hour after the commencement of the action it became evident that the whole force would be required. The Forty-eighth Ohio was then ordered to the right of this brigade, to support Brig.-Gen. Burbridge’s line, which it did with promptness and in good order. On reaching the point designated, Brig. Gert. A.J. Smith, our division commander, in bold and commanding language, ordered us forward, saying, “Forty-eighth Ohio, go right in I” The regiment then marched forward under a galling fire, through tangled brush and fallen tree-tops, to the top of a ridge; thence over a fence to an open field; thence by the right flank about 200 yards; thence by the left flank in line of battle, until we came within 150 yards of the main fort and directly in front of it. Here we were ordered to halt and lie down, and immediately afterward to rise up and “forward” which we did until we came within a very short distance of the fort, keeping up all the time a most severe and destructive fire on the enemy until about 5 p.m., when he hauled down his colors and hoisted the white flag in token of surrender. We then rushed in, took possession of the fort, and ours was the second flag planted on the main fort. Col. Landram, our brigade commander, who had fought gallantly by our side, complimented us on the spot, saying the Forty-eighth Ohio was the best old regiment out. Lieut. Col. J. H. Hammond, chief of Maj. Gen. W. T. Shaman’s staff, also complimented the regiment for its usual dashing bravery. Our loss in this engagement was but 2 killed and 14 wounded; there were no casualties among the commissioned officers, except a slight flesh-wound which Lieut. Col. Job R. Parker, of said regiment, received at long range in his left forearm, just as the regiment was marching up to its position and before it was engaged in the action. He immediately retired from the field, and Capt. Peterson, of Company K, then took command and led the regiment into the action. A few days after he was so wounded, Lieut.-Col. Parker went home on a twenty days’ leave of absence, and did not again rejoin his regiment until the 27th of April, 1863. Soon after this engagement, Capt. Peterson resigned, and Capt. Lindsey, of Company B, took command of the regiment. We remained at Arkansas Post until January 17, when we again embarked on board our transports, and the expedition steamed down into the Mississippi River, landing at Young’s Point, La., January 23. Here the regiment was engaged for some time in digging the canal. The weather became so wet that our camps were in many places overflowed, and the privations and sickness of our troops in many regiments [became] so serious that the Thirteenth Army Corps was ordered to Milliken’s Bend, La., a more healthy and drier locality, where we landed March 9. Here the troops rapidly recovered their health. That of this regiment, I am happy to say, however, had been invariably good since we left Fort Pickering, but one or two deaths from disease having occurred during this time, and the regimental hospital, under the charge of Dr. Willis, never having more than three or four patients in it at a time, notwithstanding the extremely severe privations undergone by the men. This is owing in a great degree to the care which was paid to the cleanliness of the men and the fine sanitary condition of the camp. The credit of this is mainly due to Capt. Lindsey, who was then in command of the regiment; to Adjutant McGill and to Dr. Willis, who were indefatigable in their efforts to maintain a proper police and sanitary condition. The company commandants, too, cheerfully aided in this good work. April 15, in pursuance of orders, we moved from Milliken’s Bend to the lower landing below Hard Times, where we arrived April 29, encamping on the way at Richmond, Roundaway Bayou, Holmes’, Smith’s, and Rossel’s plantations, Reddel’s Bayou, Perkins’ and Elliot’s plantations, and Hard Times, a distance of 62 miles. April 30, we crossed the Mississippi River, landing at Bruinsburg, Miss., and next morning, after a march of 15 miles, we met and engaged the enemy at Magnolia Hills, and kept driving him back all day. Next day (May 2) we marched into Port Gibson, a distance of about 2 miles, without meeting the enemy, he having retreated during the night. From Port Gibson we marched, via Bayou Pierre, Willow Springs, Rocky Springs, Big Sandy, Cayuga., Old Auburn, New Auburn, and Raymond, to Champion’s Hill, near Edwards Station, Miss. Here there was a severe and bloody engagement with the enemy. During this engagement our regiment was detailed to act in reserve and guard the trains, and, after the enemy was defeated, we moved on the 17th to Black River; crossed it the next day, and marched to within 5 miles of Vicksburg, a distance of 65 miles from Port Gibson and from Milliken’s Bend 123 miles. On the 19th, we advanced and drove the enemy’s pickets out of their rifle-pits into their fortifications. May 22, we engaged in the charge on the enemy’s fortifications in rear of Vicksburg, and, after a most sanguinary and bloody engagement, succeeded in planting our bullet-riddled flag on the enemy’s fort nearly in front of us, where it remained till evening, when the enemy massed his forces in vastly superior numbers to ours, and regained possession of the fort. Perceiving his intention, we saved our flag before the charge was made. At 10 p.m. We were ordered to fall back. The Forty-eighth was never driven back from its position near this fort until ordered to fall back, as above stated. There were none with our flag while planted on this fort save the color-guard, the regiment being a little to the left of the fort during the time. Our casualties in this engagement were, so far as I have been able to ascertain, 32 enlisted men killed, wounded, and missing; also Maj. Moats, one of the bravest and truest of men, was mortally wounded, and has since died. Capt. Gunsaullus, of Company F, a gallant and deserving officer, was severely wounded, but is, I am happy to say, fast recovering. Lieut. Col. Job R. Parker, by some means or other, received a very slight flesh wound on the cheek-bone, merely breaking the skin. He shortly after retired from the field, and on May 31 went home on a twenty days’ leave of absence. He has never since returned to his regiment nor reported to these headquarters. Fired with the determination of aiding in the reduction and capture of Vicksburg, at my own special request I was released from detached service at Memphis, and on the evening of June 22 last, I rejoined my regiment, then in rear of Vicksburg, and on the next day resumed command. Our troops in the mean time were digging their zigzag way up to the enemy’s breastworks. Gradually we closed in upon him till July 3, when Gen. Pemberton opened negotiations with Maj.-Gen. Grant, which ended in the surrender of this great stronghold to the United States forces on July 4. This, indeed, was a glorious triumph for liberty and humanity. Early the next morning we marched, among 50,000 chosen troops, under command of Maj. Gert. W. T. Sherman, in hot pursuit of Gen. Joe Johnston and his forces, and after four days’ march, hungry, thirsty, and sunburned, we came up to him at Jackson, Miss., where we found him strongly intrenched, with formidable breastworks and forts in his front and flanks, and the Pearl River and an impassable swamp in his rear. During the siege, which lasted eight days, we were almost continually on the alert, and gradually and steadily advancing upon the enemy until the night of July 16, when, after severe fighting, he stole away and fled from the veteran Sherman and his gallant and well-disciplined troops, who love him as a child would a fond father. Our casualties here were but 2 men wounded. In the memorable campaign just closed with the fall of Vicksburg and Jackson, the Forty. Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry has had but 11 men killed, 38 wounded, and 1 missing; in all, 50, including officers and men. By the circular above alluded to, I am ordered to mention the weak-kneed and chicken-hearted as well as the brave and true officers and men of the regiment. This regiment, with but a very few exceptions, has been celebrated for its good order and discipline, as well as for its dashing and gallant bravery on the field of battle. The accompanying paper, marked A,# contains the names of those gallant officers and men who deserve to be kindly remembered and rewarded by their country. Adjt. R. C. McGill, who has just resigned, on account of bad health; Drs. Willis and Wiles, surgeons of the regiment, and Capt. Lindsey, deserve special mention for their untiring efforts to preserve the good health of the men, and to enforce good order and discipline on all occasions. Those are tried and true men. Lieut. Lynch, acting quartermaster of the regiment, is also entitled to credit for the execution of his duties. Those brave fellows, the color-guard, who were in the charge on the enemy in rear of Vicksburg on May 22, ought to be remembered and held up as true heroes by the brave and the true. Their names are David L. Vore, Company E, color sergeant; Isaac H. Carmin, corporal Company A; Isaac Scott, corporal Company B; Metcalf Bell, corporal Company F; Jesse Ellis, private Company D; Allen Pierce, corporal Company D; Albert N. Shumard, corporal Company G; James D. Wolf, private Company K. The health of the regiment, with but a few exceptions, is good. The strength of the regiment is, present and absent, 362 enlisted men and 27 commissioned officers. Of this number there are present for duty 269 enlisted men and 17 commissioned officers. Should time, health, and circumstances permit, I will make a more extended and minute report of the part which my regiment has taken in this struggle between liberty and anarchy since its action in the battle of Shiloh up to the fall of Vicksburg and Jackson. My feeble health compels me to abridge this report, yet I trust I have fulfilled all the requirements of the said circular. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, PETER J. SULLIVAN, Col., Commanding. First Lieut. C. C. TRACY, A. A. A. G., Second Brig, Tenth Div., Thirteenth A.C.

PETER JOHN SULLIVAN was born in Ireland in 1821. During the Know Nothing riots he commanded a regiment of German volunteers who helped suppress the riots.

By the outbreak of the Civil War, Peter J. Sullivan had accumulated a large fortune. He was not offered a commission in the Union Army at the outset because Governor William Dennison, a Republican, suspected Sullivan, a Democrat, of harboring Confederate sympathies. In order to dispel the suspicion, Sullivan, at his own expense, raised four regiments which were accepted by the government. When word reached President Lincoln of Sullivan’s ardent support of the Union, he insisted that Sullivan be named lieutenant colonel of the 48th Ohio Volunteers. Within two months, in January 1862, he was colonel of the regiment. Sullivan led his regiment in the sanguinary battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), during which encounter four horses were killed beneath him and he was wounded three times. Because of these wounds, he was never able to take active command again, nor did he ever completely recover his health. He served for a time as post commander at Memphis, Tennessee, while it was occupied by Union troops and then served as a judge on a military court of claims. He was named a brevet brigadier general at the close of the war and was appointed United States Minister to Colombia by President Andrew Johnson. In 1869 he was reappointed to the same post by President Grant, but resigned soon after because of frail health and returned to Cincinnati to practice law. General Sullivan died March 2, 1883, in Cincinnati at age sixty-one.
Forty For the Union: Civil War Generals Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery
by James Barnett
Cincinnati Civil War Round Table

(Contributed by Dave Smith, Cincinnati Civil War Round Table)

 M. Posegate’s description of General Sullivan

M. Posegate met General Sullivan several years after the war in New York and was his guest at dinner at the old Metropolitan Hotel on Broadway. F. M. Posegate has this to say about General Sullivan, the Colonel of the 48th, in his speech written many years afterwards.

“Sullivan was slightly wounded by a bullet across his forehead, in the early morning fight [at Shiloh] and had his right arm broken in the battle of Monday. He served till nearly the close of the war and lived for several years afterwards. He was appointed by President Grant as Minister to Bogota. A braver or truer man never lived and, in cogitating over the battle of Shiloh, it has frequently occurred to me that had more of the Regimental Commanders in the battle possessed the chivalric courage of Col. Sullivan, the struggle might have concluded on Sunday with a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Colonel died at his home in Cincinnati, honored and respected by all who knew him.”

Who is the real Peter J. Sullivan?

by S. E. Williams

In his otherwise excellent book “Shiloh: The Battle that Changed the Civil War” (Simon & Schuster 1998 p. 161), Larry J. Daniel describes Col. Peter J. Sullivan as “Irish-born Colonel Peter Sullivan, a Mexican War veteran who had recently paid for the organizational expenses of four regiments.” He says “Sullivan was an odd character, a decent man but in no way fitted to lead a regiment. He always addressed his men as “gentlemen” and requested them “please to present arms.”

This description both misses Col. Sullivan’s strengths and fails to describe his real weaknesses exhibited during the battle of Shiloh. The vast majority of Colonels on both sides during the Civil War were initially chosen for reasons other than their military experience. At least Sullivan had some experience in the Mexican War.

Capt. F. M. Posegate, who knew him and served as his acting adjutant just before and during the first day of the Battle of Shiloh, gives us quite a different view. Posegate, who was raised in the wild west town of St. Joseph, Missouri where a lack of etiquette could get a man shot, never alluded to Sullivan’s courteous ways. Instead he describes him as “an Irishman as full of fight as an egg is of meat” and clearly viewed him as something of an impetuous hothead. On the positive side Posegate says “A braver or truer man never lived and, in cogitating over the battle of Shiloh, it has frequently occurred to me that had more of the Regimental Commanders in the battle possessed the chivalric courage of Col. Sullivan, the struggle might have concluded on Sunday with a crushing defeat of the Confederates.” Posegate, an outspoken printer and newspaperman, was a conservative Whig who ultimately became a Republican; yet the Irish immigrant and Democrat, Peter J. Sullivan, ultimately earned his complete respect and admiration.

General Sherman’s official report commends Sullivan for his bravery under fire stating “Colonels Sullivan and Cockerill, behaved with great gallantry, the former receiving a severe wound on Sunday, and yet commanding and holding his regiment well in hand all day, and on Monday, till his right arm was broken by a shot.” and “As to Colonels Sullivan and Cockerill, I need add nothing more. My report shows that they were always where duty called them, regardless of danger in the last action at McClernand’s camp Colonel Sullivan was wonnded in the arm.”

Col. Sullivan, who had four horses shot from under him during the battle of Shiloh, and continued to lead despite a head wound the first day of the battle, contributed the courageous example required by a volunteer unit. After Shiloh Col. Sullivan never completely recovered his health and the regiment was commanded primarily by Col. Parker but he founded the regiment and provided the example needed to get his men through their first battle. During the battle “his Irish was up” but he did a far better job of leading his men than the vast majority of colonels of volunteers.

Peter J. Sullivan Papers

 Collection

 Georgetown University Manuscripts:

•   Peter J. Sullivan Papers – https://findingaids.library.georgetown.edu/repositories/15/resources/10302

Collection-level Scope and Content Note

The Peter J. Sullivan Papers document the life and times of Peter J. Sullivan (1821-1883), who was a Union officer in the American Civil War and the U.S. Minister to Colombia from 1867 to 1869. While there are a limited number of documents concerning his Civil War career, the majority of the papers describe his work as U.S. Minister to Colombia. The papers include a large run of letters to and from U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward; U.S. Consul in Cartagena, Colombia Augustus S. Hanabergh; and U.S. Consular Agent in Barrouquilla, Colombia E.P. Pellet. Other correspondents include Hamilton Fish, Thomas K. Smith, and notable Colombia politicians and leaders of the era, such as Santos Acosta, Santos Gutierrez, Rudecindo Lopez, Carlos Martin, Tomas C. Mosquera, Santiago Perez, and Miguel Samper.

The dispatches sent by Sullivan and received by him while he was U.S. Minister to Colombia highlight his efforts to conclude a treaty with Colombia for the construction of a ship canal across the Isthmus of Darien. Darien, and for that matter Panama, was part of the nation of Colombia at that point in history. In the end, Sullivan’s efforts did not succeed, and the canal was not built across Darien, after all. In addition, the letters describe the turmoil present in Colombian politics and society during those years. The letters back and forth with the Colombian government also detail U.S.-Colombian relations during the term of his posting in Colombia. Some of Sullivan’s letters relate to the riot in Cartagena, Colombia in September 1867 which resulted in the death of two Americans.

The Civil War related documents include a few of his commissions, copies of certain general orders, letters from Sullivan to Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase, and speeches by Sullivan after the war focusing on the exploits of the Union army.

Peter John Sullivan

Peter John Sullivan (March 15, 1821 – March 2, 1883) was an Irish-American soldier and lawyer, who became United States Ambassador to Colombia.

Life

Sullivan was born March 15, 1821, in Cork, Ireland. Sullivan’s parents brought him to Philadelphia when he was two years old, and he received his education at the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the Mexican-American War, and received the brevet of major for meritorious services.

After retiring to civil life he became one of the official stenographers of the U.S. Senate, and in 1848 went to live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was admitted to the bar. He was prominent there as an opponent of the Know-nothing movement.

During the American Civil War, Sullivan took an active part in organizing several Ohio volunteer regiments and went to the scene of action as colonel of the 48th Ohio Infantry. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. His injuries would force him to resign on August 7, 1863. On December 11, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Sullivan for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 6, 1867.

In 1867, Sullivan was appointed U.S. Minister to Colombia and held that office until 1869. He then returned to the practice of the law.

Sullivan died at Cincinnati on March 2, 1883, and was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.

Transcription of Gen. Sherman’s letter of commendation:

Augt 20^th 1862

Col Sullivan,

Your note is received and I have hardly read it and

hasten to say yours is the name purer for being passed through

the ? ? mill. ? for my sake, bear patiently any that to which

you may be subject. If your enemies misrepresent you

you will be the stronger for the test. I have and ever will bear

willing testimony to your courage, gallantry and manliness,

not only at Shiloh, but always. Your name came to me

officially in a long list, and I could not without partiality

separate it. But that you are in any danger, I

will not believe you know how high I rate personal

courage and that I will never suffer a brave man to be

injured by any combination (?). ? to the contrary I think

you will be strengthened by any trial to which you may be

subject. Lt. Col. Parker will be also examined, and

indeed it will give weight to the action of the board,

when it is known so high and respectable officers have

been examined. I wish same competent tribunals would

examine us all.

Yours in haste

(signed)                                         W.T.  Sherman

Copy.