Michael Sullivan (abt. 1825 - 1883)

Born about 1825 in United Kingdom

Husband of Laura (Impson) Sullivan — married 15 May 1867 in Calhoun, Ouachita, Louisiana, United States

Descendants

Died 3 Feb 1883 at about age 58 in Calhoun, Ouachita, Louisiana

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Michael Sullivan was born in Ireland.

Biography

Pvt. Michael Sullivan served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Jun 4, 1861
Mustered out: Mar 23, 1865
Side: CSA
Regiment(s): '4th Louisiana Battalion, Co. B

Preface
In the first half of the 19th century, Michael Sullivan began an immigrant journey that would include crossing the Atlantic to live in America, venturing alone into the deep south, where he soon found himself volunteering to fight in the Civil War as a confederate solider. Michael survived the war, as well as imprisonment, and following the surrender at Appomattox courthouse, he started a family that today is responsible for hundreds of descendants.

The old Gaelic name, Sullivan
The name Sullivan is derived from the country of Ireland, which is also where this story begins.^[1] At the beginning of the 19th century, around 1810, much of Ireland was dotted with small farms. Ireland by this time was part of the United Kingdom. On these farms, the potato had become a necessary staple for survival, and though conditions were certainly difficult, many families survived by raising and living off of its basic sustenance.^[2]

His parents were from Ireland
For the families that left Ireland prior to 1820, their chances of survival went up by avoiding the impact of the Great Potato Famine that saw as many as one and a half million people die of starvation and famine.^[3]

Journey to America
The precise reason for Michael Sullivan’s journey to America is unknown. He was born around 1822-24. There are a few discrepancies which make it unclear as to whether he was born in Ireland or England, but it has been passed down through family stories that his mother and father were from Ireland, as Michael himself notes in multiple census interviews.^{[4] [5]}

"Did he travel to Northeast Louisiana via the Mississippi and Ouachita rivers, coming up from New Orleans? Or did he come by wagon train across the south?"

According to a granddaughter of Michael’s daughter, Arabella Sullivan, "when Michael Sullivan was an infant or small child, his parents both died unexpectedly after moving from Ireland to England." It is unknown whether he had any brothers or sisters, or whether he was an only child. According to this story, once he became orphaned, "Michael stowed away on a ship sailing for the United States at the age of 8." The first known record of his presence in America shows him working as a farm laborer with an Ellis family in Ouachita Parish around the age of 22.^[4][6]

Sullivan's Service in The Civil War
Ten years later, as the Civil War drew near, Michael was still single with no family, living nearby in Southern Arkansas.^[5] In January of 1861, Louisiana joined several other states in seceding from the Union, and just two months later, on June 4, 1861, Michael Sullivan was recruited in Monroe, Louisiana, by Captain John McEnery, enlisting as a Confederate Soldier for the duration of the war. He is paid a stipend that will provide for six-months of clothing. He would not return however for another 4 years, due to his service to the Confederate States of America in the Louisiana 4th Battalion, Company B, also known as “The Ouachita Blues.”^[7]

Only one month after enlisting, Sullivan and his regiment were sent by train to the Confederate Capitol of Richmond, Virginia, where President Jefferson Davis had organized the new government of the Confederacy, and by July 10, 1861 they had reached their destination of Richmond.^[8]

Guarding Jefferson Davis In Virginia at Libby Prison
Sullivan's company was given the job of protecting and serving as bodyguards for Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. Additionally, they served as Guards at Libby Prison, where any captured Union Soldiers would be held.^[8]

Protecting Charleston
Over the next year, Michael Sullivan and the Ouachita Blues spent time in and around Richmond, Virginia. Then, on June 4, 1862, they were given orders that Union troops were planning an assault on the southern stronghold of Charleston, South Carolina. They were immediately sent there, where they would setup camp on James Island. By June 16, 1862, the Union Troops had begun to attack in the Battle of Secessionville. Michael Sullivan and the Ouachita Blues, along with the rest of his battalion, were about a mile and a half south of where this battle began. The South Carolina troops that were guarding the Confederate positions were severely outnumbered, but post battle reports indicate that they bravely fought back as they struggled to hold their positions.^[8]

The Union Army persisted, and just as they began to see movement of their lines, the Ouachita Blues with Sullivan among their ranks were able to turn away the attacking Union troops in protection of Charleston. Sullivan saw six of his fellow soldiers killed, and another 22 were wounded in the Battle of Secessionville.^[8]

Defending Vicksburg
Michael Sullivan and his regiment would spend much of their time on the move over the next year. They would travel to Wilmington, North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. Meanwhile, further south, Ulysses S. Grant had been putting together a dogged attempt to capture Vicksburg. With the capture of Vicksburg, the Confederacy would be completely cut off from the Mississippi River. These actions are the reason that Sullivan and his battalion were moved to Jackson, Mississippi in May of 1863. It is here that Sullivan would fight and ultimately be captured by Union Soldiers, on July 19, 1863.^[8][9]

Capture and Imprisonment
After traversing the countryside for two years, Sullivan’s long journey had landed him as a helpless Prisoner of War. He was sent by train to Camp Morton, Indiana, where Confederate Soldiers were kept as prisoners. For the next two years, Michael Sullivan remained as prisoner of war.^[10]

Some of the soldiers from the Ouachita Blues who were captured at the same time as Sullivan chose to fight for the North, and others swore an oath of allegiance to the United States and were then set free.^[10]

Libby Prison
In December of 1863, the prison became overcrowded and conditions became increasingly harsh, and on December 15, 1863, Sullivan and many of his comrades finally indicated that they wished to take an allegiance to the United States.

When Sullivan was interviewed concerning the possibility of parole, the prison guards made note that Sullivan had been recruited in Monroe, Louisiana, and that he “desired to take the oath, go home, and remain loyal.” Undoubtedly the Union officers were skeptical, as they noted “Case Doubtful.” He would remain a prisoner at Camp Morton another two years, for the duration of the war.

The conditions while serving as a Confederate Soldier were increasingly difficult, but it likely paled in comparison to the conditions for a prisoner of war. By the end of 1863, a smallpox epidemic broke out at the prison, and by August of 1864, there were 224 tents outside the hospital, containing 1,340 sick and dying prisoners, while the hospital barracks contained anywhere from 436 to 484 sick prisoners.

There were some old cattle sheds in the camp, with one being used as a temporary hospital barracks, containing an additional 554 sick prisoners. Escape attempts were frequent. Clothing was replaced only in extreme cases, and only if Confederate families did not send replacements. Since Sullivan had no family at all, one can only imagine that no provisions likely ever arrived from home. Nearly 20% died while incarcerated there. ^[11]

Post-War Return to Louisiana
By April 1865, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, and the War had finally ended. Michael Sullivan returned home to Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.

The Birth of a Family
Following his return to Ouachita Parish, at the age of 42, Michael Sullivan married Laura Adline Impson Brown on May 15, 1867. She was 35 and a widow to her previous husband, George Brown. Together she and George Brown had four children, who would all join Michael Sullivan and his new wife Laura in their new home.The eldest child, Marguerite was about 16, and the youngest, George Jr., was about 5.^[12][13]

As Michael and Laura settled in to their new family life together in western Ouachita Parish, he began to farm, and she kept the home. They did not yet own land of their own in these early post-war years. The Sullivans reported their entire personal wealth to be valued at $310. Soon they began to see their family grow even larger. By August of 1870, they had a one year old daughter named Arabella Sullivan, and soon thereafter welcomed what would be their only son, Henry Graton Sullivan.^[13]

Later throughout the decade, Michael and Laura Sullivan’s family would grow even larger with the addition of two more girls, named Cordelia and Adeline Sullivan.^[14]

Renounced Allegiance to Queen Victoria
By 1871, Michael Sullivan at the age of 46, was evidently still not a citizen of the United States. That changed on September 18, 1871. Michael appeared at the courthouse in Ouachita Parish and officially renounced his allegiance to Queen Victoria, of Great Britain and Ireland. A few years later, in 1877, a notice went out in The Ouachita Telegraph, noting that Michael was selected for jury duty. Michael Sullivan was officially an American citizen.^[15]

Death and Burial
In 1881, Michael and Laura Sullivan received a land-grant of forty-acres. Just two years later, on February 3, 1883, Michael died. He is buried in a small, community graveyard known as Butler Cemetery.^[16]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press.
2. ↑ Mokyr, Joel. "Great Famine." March 08, 2019. Accessed March 27, 2019. Encyclopedia Britannica.
3. ↑ Irish History Timeline. Accessed March 27, 2019. IrishHistorian.com
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} 1850 United States Federal Census. Birth date: abt 1828 Birth place: England Residence date: 1850 Residence place: Wards 8 and 11, Ouachita, Louisiana. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. 1860 Birth place: Ireland; Census Place: Carter, Ashley, Arkansas; Roll: M653_37; Page: 209; Family History Library Film: 803037
6. ↑ Skipper, Paul. Interview with Yvonne Walker Hancock as told by her grandmother Arabella Sullivan Walker.
7. ↑ Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4} Bergeron, Arthur W. Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1996. 157-158
9. ↑ Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Louisiana. Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865.
11. ↑ "Camp Morton Prisoner of War Camp." Camp Morton Prisoner of War Camp. Accessed March 27, 2019.
12. ↑ Louisiana, Compiled Marriage Index, 1718-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} 1870; Census Place: Ward 6, Ouachita, Louisiana; Roll: M593_526; Page: 134A; Family History Library Film: 552025 Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
14. ↑ 1880; Census Place: 6th Ward, Ouachita, Louisiana; Roll: 465; Page: 129B; Enumeration District: 065 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
15. ↑ Card index to naturalizations in Louisiana, 1831–1906. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Card index to naturalizations in Louisiana (P2087); Microfilm Serial: P2087; Microfilm Roll: 16
16. ↑ www.FindaGrave.com U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.