Sullivan Ballou

Sullivan A. Ballou
Lithograph of Sullivan Ballou
Born(1829-03-28)March 28, 1829
Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 1861(1861-07-29) (aged 32)
Sudley Church, Virginia
Buried
AllegianceUnion of the
United States of America
Service / branchUnion Army of the
United States Army
Years of service1861
Rank Major
Commands2nd Rhode Island Infantry
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War

Sullivan Ballou (March 28, 1829 – July 29, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician from Rhode Island, and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered for an eloquent letter he wrote to his wife Sarah a week before he was mortally wounded in the First Battle of Bull Run. He was left behind by retreating Union forces and died a week after the battle.