Thomas Sullivan (Medal of Honor, 1890)

Thomas Sullivan
Thomas Sullivan
Born	April 4, 1859; Ireland, County Meath
Died	January 10, 1940 (aged 80); New York City, New York, U.S.
Place of burial	East Orange, New Jersey
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Rank	Private
Unit	E Co. 7th U.S. Cavalry
Awards	Medal of Honor

Last updated November 29, 2024

Thomas Sullivan (April 4, 1859 – January 10, 1940) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Battle of Wounded Knee,^{[Note 1]} but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre.

Biography

Thomas Sullivan was born in County Meath, Ireland, most likely to either Patrick Sullivan and Bridget Conolly, or Richard Sullivan and Mary McCann, based on available baptism records.^[1]^{[Note 2]} At age 28 he immigrated to the US and enlisted in the US Army at 28 years and five months age. His listed occupation on his enlistment documentation was a "laborer".^[2]^[3]

Sullivan was immediately assigned to Troop E 7th Cavalry and served four total enlistments with the unit. Afterward, for his fifth enlistment, he transferred to Troop H 2d Cavalry. There he served as quartermaster sergeant. Sullivan would go on to serve in both Cuba and the Philippines as part of the Spanish–American War before retiring from Ft. Bliss as a First Sergeant with 23 years total in the Army.^[3]

Following his retirement Sullivan returned to New Jersey, married a woman named Ellen, another naturalized Irish immigrant, and worked intermittently as a watchman, guard, and policeman. He died in 1940 and was buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery along with his wife who had died six years earlier.^[3]

Wounded Knee

The Battle of Wounded Knee (also Massacre of Wounded Knee) took place in December 1890. The 7th Cavalry Detachment had been escorting approximately 350 Lakota to the Pine Ridge Reservation when on December 29, the decision was made to disarm the tribe members. A scuffle ensued which quickly evolved into all-out hostilities, with the 7th Cavalry enjoying a significant tactical advantage, having superior numbers of fighting men as well as superior arms, including four Hotchkiss 1.65 inch M-1875 Mountain Guns.^[4]

This same day, E Troop 7th Cavalry began taking direct fire from Lakota who had concealed themselves in a ravine. After suffering three casualties, two of whom were killed, the call was put out for volunteers to maneuver from the current pinned-down position and attempt to gain a better vantage point. Sullivan volunteered to move left of the main body to an exposed position in an attempt to eliminate the threat. He and his fellow soldiers, Private Kellner and Sergeant Tritle, drew the enemy fire to their own position, providing relief for the main body.^[3]^[5]^[6]

Awards and decorations

1st Row	Medal of Honor	Indian Campaign Medal	Philippine Campaign Medal
2nd Row	Spanish War Service Medal	Army of Cuban Occupation Medal	Mexican Border Service Medal

Medal of Honor Citation

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private Thomas Sullivan, United States Army, for conspicuous bravery in action against Indians concealed in a ravine on 29 December 1890, while serving with Company E, 7th U.S. Cavalry, in action at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.^[7]

The reverse side of the medal is engraved with the following: "The Congress to Private Thomas Sullivan, Troop E, 7th Cavalry, for bravery at Wounded Knee Creek, S.D., December 29, 1890."^[3]

Controversy

There have been several attempts by various parties to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the Battle of Wounded Knee.^[8]^[9]^[10] Proponents claim that the engagement was in-fact a massacre and not a battle, due to the high number of killed and wounded Lakota women and children and the very one-sided casualty counts. Estimates of the Lakota losses indicate 150–300 killed, of which up to 200 were women and children. Additionally, as many as 51 were wounded. In contrast, the 7th Cavalry suffered 25 killed and 39 wounded, many being the result of friendly fire.^[11]^[12]^[13]

Calvin Spotted Elk, direct descendant of Chief Spotted Elk killed at Wounded Knee, launched a petition to rescind medals from the soldiers who participated in the battle.^[14]

The Army has also been criticized more generally for the seemingly disproportionate number of Medals of Honor awarded in connection with the battle.^[15] For comparison, 20 Medals were awarded at Wounded Knee, 21 at the Battle of Cedar Creek, and 20 at the Battle of Antietam.^[15]^[16] Respectively, Cedar Creek and Antietam involved 52,712 and 113,000 troops, suffering 8,674 and 22,717 casualties.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21] Wounded Knee, however, involved 610 combatants and resulted in as many as 705 casualties (including non-combatants).^[22]^[11]

Notes

↑ According to the US Army Archived April 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , two Thomas Sullivans received Medals of Honor during the Indian War period. This article is about the Irish born Sullivan who received the award for serving with the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee. See Thomas Sullivan (Medal of Honor, 1869) for the Kentucky born PVT Sullivan who received the award for serving with the 1ST Cavalry in the Chiricahua Mountains.
↑ Sources provide differing dates for his birth, making it difficult to match his birth to baptismal records with a high degree of certainty.

Related Research Articles

The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, was the massacre of nearly three hundred Lakota people by soldiers of the United States Army. The massacre, part of what the U.S. military called the Pine Ridge Campaign, occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, following a botched attempt to disarm the Lakota camp. The previous day, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M. Whitside approached Spotted Elk's band of Miniconjou Lakota and 38 Hunkpapa Lakota near Porcupine Butte and escorted them five miles westward to Wounded Knee Creek, where they made camp. The remainder of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, led by Colonel James W. Forsyth, arrived and surrounded the encampment. The regiment was supported by a battery of four Hotchkiss mountain guns. The Army was catering to the anxiety of settlers who called the conflict the Messiah War and were worried the Ghost Dance signified a potentially dangerous Sioux resurgence. Historian Jeffrey Ostler wrote in 2004, "Wounded Knee was not made up of a series of discrete unconnected events. Instead, from the disarming to the burial of the dead, it consisted of a series of acts held together by an underlying logic of racist domination."

The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air "Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest battles of the American Indian Wars, including its famous defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where its commander Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was killed. The regiment also committed the Wounded Knee Massacre, where more than 250 men, women and children of the Lakota were killed.

James William Forsyth was a U.S. Army officer and general. He was primarily a Union staff officer during the American Civil War and cavalry regimental commander during the American Indian Wars. Forsyth is best known for having commanded the 7th Cavalry at the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890, during which more than 250 men, women, and children of the Lakota were killed and more than 50 were wounded.

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John Chowning Gresham was an officer in the United States Army who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Wounded Knee Massacre as part of the Indian Wars.

Herman or Hermann Ziegner was a German-American soldier who served in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars and the Spanish–American War. In 1891, he was one of twenty men to receive the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Wounded Knee., now called the Wounded Knee Massacre. He was also a non-commissioned officer of 71st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, taking part in the Santiago campaign and the charge up San Juan Hill, and was one of many regimental members who died from malnourishment and malaria prior to and shortly after returning to the United States.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William G. Austin</span>

William Grafton Austin was an American enlisted man and officer in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Indian Wars. Austin received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, on December 29, 1890.

Bernhard Jetter was a Kingdom of Württemberg-born soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Dakota at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, in South Dakota on December 29, 1890.

First Sergeant Mosheim Feaster was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men awarded the Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, on December 29, 1890. He later served in the Spanish–American War.

First Sergeant Jacob Trautman was a German-born soldier in the U.S. Army. His service included an enlistment with a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment during the Civil War and with the 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Wounded Knee, now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, and afterward.

Frederick Ernest Toy was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Indian and Spanish–American Wars; During his enlisted service, he was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Regiment until promoted to ordnance sergeant and served at a variety of posts. He received the Medal of Honor for bravery at the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now called the Wounded Knee Massacre, against the Dakota Indians on December 29, 1890. Toy retired from the Army in 1910. He was recalled and commissioned as a captain during World War I. He worked as an employment manager and as a railroad police officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul H. Weinert</span> United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

Sergeant Paul H. Weinert was an American soldier in the U.S. Army who served with the 1st U.S. Artillery during the Indian Wars. He was one of twenty men who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at what was then called the Battle of Wounded Knee, but now commonly called the Wounded Knee Massacre, taking charge of the battery when his commanding officer was severely wounded, on December 29, 1890.

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References

↑ Ancestry.com, Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, 1742–1881 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011 (Original data: Parish Registers. Dublin, Ireland: National Library of Ireland (NLI).
↑ Ancestry.com, New York, Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 [database on-line], Year: 1889; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820–1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 531; Line:47; List Number: 358; Ancestry.com, U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798–1914 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls), Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s–1917, Record Group 94, Year Range: 1885–1890, Surname Range: L-Z, Image: 443, Line: 588.
1 2 3 4 5 "Irish Immigrant Private Thomas Sullivan, E Troop, 7th Cavalry – Conspicuous Bravery – Army at Wounded Knee". Army at Wounded Knee. February 7, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
↑ Utley, Robert (1963). "The Last Days of the Sioux Nation". Yale University Press. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
↑ "Letter to the Adjudant General (page 1)". April 17, 1891.
↑ "Letter to the Adjudant General (page 2)". April 17, 1891.
↑ "Thomas Sullivan - Recipient -".
↑ Dana Lone Hill (February 18, 2013). "The Wounded Knee medals of honor should be rescinded". the Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
↑ "No Medals for Massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". The Huffington Post. February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
↑ "Lakota~WOUNDED KNEE: A Campaign to Rescind Medals: story, pictures and information". Footnote.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
1 2 "Plains Humanities: Wounded Knee Massacre". Retrieved December 9, 2014.
↑ "The 110th Anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre". perspicuity.net. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
↑ "Wagner...Part Two". dickshovel.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
↑ Joseph Huff-Hannon (February 12, 2013). "No Medals for massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". Huffington Post.
1 2 Green, Jerry (1994). "The Medals of Wounded Knee". Nebraska State Historical Society, also available in Nebraska History #75, pp. 200–208. Nebraska State Historical Society History.
↑ Owens, Ronald J. (2004) Medal of Honor: Historical facts and figures. Turner Publishing Company
↑ Whitehorne, p. 15. The NPS battle summary lists Union strength of 31,945. Cullen, p. 111, states 35,000 Union effectives, including 10,000 cavalry. Salmon, p. 368, and Kennedy, p. 319, state 32,000 Union.
↑ Whitehorne, p. 17. The NPS battle summary and Kennedy, p. 319, list Confederate strength of 21,000. Cullen, p. 112, states 18,000 Confederate effectives, including 4,000 cavalry.
↑ Wert, p. 246, Eicher, p. 752. Lewis, p. 288, reports Union totals as 5,764 (569 killed, 3,425 wounded, 1,770 missing), Confederates 3,060 (1,860 killed and wounded, 1,200 prisoners). Kennedy, p. 323, reports 5,672 Union, 2,910 Confederate. The NPS battle summary reports 5,665 Union, 2,910 Confederate. Salmon, p. 372, reports Union "almost 5,700", Confederate "almost 3,000."
↑ Eicher, p. 363. Sears, p. 173, cites 75,000 Union troops, with an effective strength of 71,500, with 300 guns; on p. 296, he states that the 12,401 Union casualties were 25% of those who went into action and that McClellan committed "barely 50,000 infantry and artillerymen to the contest"; p. 389, he cites Confederate effective strength of "just over 38,000," including A.P. Hill's division, which arrived in the afternoon. Priest, p. 343, cites 87,164 men present in the Army of the Potomac, with 53,632 engaged, and 30,646 engaged in the Army of Northern Virginia. Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite 87,100 Union engaged, 51,800 Confederate. Harsh, Sounding the Shallows, pp. 201–202, analyzes the historiography of the figures, and shows that Ezra A. Carman (a battlefield historian who influenced some of these sources) used "engaged" figures; the 38,000 excludes Pender's and Field's brigades, roughly half the artillery, and forces used to secure objectives behind the line.
↑ Sears, pp. 294–96; Cannan, p. 201. Confederate casualties are estimates because reported figures include undifferentiated casualties at South Mountain and Shepherdstown; Sears remarks that "there is no doubt that a good many of the 1,771 men listed as missing were in fact dead, buried uncounted in unmarked graves where they fell." McPherson, p. 129, gives ranges for the Confederate losses: 1,546–2,700 dead, 7,752–9,024 wounded. He states that more than 2,000 of the wounded on both sides died from their wounds. Priest, p. 343, reports 12,882 Union casualties (2,157 killed, 9,716 wounded, 1,009 missing or captured) and 11,530 Confederate (1,754 killed, 8,649 wounded, 1,127 missing or captured). Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite Union casualties of 12,469 (2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, 1,043 missing or captured) and 10,292 Confederate (1,567 killed, 8,725 wounded for September 14–20, plus approximately 2,000 missing or captured).
↑ Brown, p. 178, Brown states that at the army camp, "the Indians were carefully counted." Utley, p. 204, gives 120 men, 230 women and children; there is no indication how many were warriors, old men, or incapacitated sick like Big Foot.

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[1] According to the US Army Archived April 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , two Thomas Sullivans received Medals of Honor during the Indian War period. This article is about the Irish born Sullivan who received the award for serving with the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee. See Thomas Sullivan (Medal of Honor, 1869) for the Kentucky born PVT Sullivan who received the award for serving with the 1ST Cavalry in the Chiricahua Mountains.

[3] Sources provide differing dates for his birth, making it difficult to match his birth to baptismal records with a high degree of certainty.

[2] Ancestry.com, Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, 1742–1881 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011 (Original data: Parish Registers. Dublin, Ireland: National Library of Ireland (NLI).

[4] Ancestry.com, New York, Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 [database on-line], Year: 1889; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820–1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 531; Line:47; List Number: 358; Ancestry.com, U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798–1914 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls), Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s–1917, Record Group 94, Year Range: 1885–1890, Surname Range: L-Z, Image: 443, Line: 588.

[armyawk-5] 1 2 3 4 5 "Irish Immigrant Private Thomas Sullivan, E Troop, 7th Cavalry – Conspicuous Bravery – Army at Wounded Knee". Army at Wounded Knee. February 7, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[6] Utley, Robert (1963). "The Last Days of the Sioux Nation". Yale University Press. Retrieved August 4, 2007.

[7] "Letter to the Adjudant General (page 1)". April 17, 1891.

[8] "Letter to the Adjudant General (page 2)". April 17, 1891.

[9] "Thomas Sullivan - Recipient -".

[10] Dana Lone Hill (February 18, 2013). "The Wounded Knee medals of honor should be rescinded". the Guardian. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[11] "No Medals for Massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". The Huffington Post. February 12, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[12] "Lakota~WOUNDED KNEE: A Campaign to Rescind Medals: story, pictures and information". Footnote.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.

[Plains_Humanities_2014-13] 1 2 "Plains Humanities: Wounded Knee Massacre". Retrieved December 9, 2014.

[14] "The 110th Anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre". perspicuity.net. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[15] "Wagner...Part Two". dickshovel.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[16] Joseph Huff-Hannon (February 12, 2013). "No Medals for massacre: Close the Open Wound of Wounded Knee". Huffington Post.

[Green,_Jerry_1994_pp._200-17] 1 2 Green, Jerry (1994). "The Medals of Wounded Knee". Nebraska State Historical Society, also available in Nebraska History #75, pp. 200–208. Nebraska State Historical Society History.

[18] Owens, Ronald J. (2004) Medal of Honor: Historical facts and figures. Turner Publishing Company

[19] Whitehorne, p. 15. The NPS battle summary lists Union strength of 31,945. Cullen, p. 111, states 35,000 Union effectives, including 10,000 cavalry. Salmon, p. 368, and Kennedy, p. 319, state 32,000 Union.

[20] Whitehorne, p. 17. The NPS battle summary and Kennedy, p. 319, list Confederate strength of 21,000. Cullen, p. 112, states 18,000 Confederate effectives, including 4,000 cavalry.

[21] Wert, p. 246, Eicher, p. 752. Lewis, p. 288, reports Union totals as 5,764 (569 killed, 3,425 wounded, 1,770 missing), Confederates 3,060 (1,860 killed and wounded, 1,200 prisoners). Kennedy, p. 323, reports 5,672 Union, 2,910 Confederate. The NPS battle summary reports 5,665 Union, 2,910 Confederate. Salmon, p. 372, reports Union "almost 5,700", Confederate "almost 3,000."

[22] Eicher, p. 363. Sears, p. 173, cites 75,000 Union troops, with an effective strength of 71,500, with 300 guns; on p. 296, he states that the 12,401 Union casualties were 25% of those who went into action and that McClellan committed "barely 50,000 infantry and artillerymen to the contest"; p. 389, he cites Confederate effective strength of "just over 38,000," including A.P. Hill's division, which arrived in the afternoon. Priest, p. 343, cites 87,164 men present in the Army of the Potomac, with 53,632 engaged, and 30,646 engaged in the Army of Northern Virginia. Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite 87,100 Union engaged, 51,800 Confederate. Harsh, Sounding the Shallows, pp. 201–202, analyzes the historiography of the figures, and shows that Ezra A. Carman (a battlefield historian who influenced some of these sources) used "engaged" figures; the 38,000 excludes Pender's and Field's brigades, roughly half the artillery, and forces used to secure objectives behind the line.

[23] Sears, pp. 294–96; Cannan, p. 201. Confederate casualties are estimates because reported figures include undifferentiated casualties at South Mountain and Shepherdstown; Sears remarks that "there is no doubt that a good many of the 1,771 men listed as missing were in fact dead, buried uncounted in unmarked graves where they fell." McPherson, p. 129, gives ranges for the Confederate losses: 1,546–2,700 dead, 7,752–9,024 wounded. He states that more than 2,000 of the wounded on both sides died from their wounds. Priest, p. 343, reports 12,882 Union casualties (2,157 killed, 9,716 wounded, 1,009 missing or captured) and 11,530 Confederate (1,754 killed, 8,649 wounded, 1,127 missing or captured). Luvaas and Nelson, p. 302, cite Union casualties of 12,469 (2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, 1,043 missing or captured) and 10,292 Confederate (1,567 killed, 8,725 wounded for September 14–20, plus approximately 2,000 missing or captured).

[24] Brown, p. 178, Brown states that at the army camp, "the Indians were carefully counted." Utley, p. 204, gives 120 men, 230 women and children; there is no indication how many were warriors, old men, or incapacitated sick like Big Foot.

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