His family's home, the The Judge Jeremiah Sullivan House, in Madison, Indiana stands as one of the oldest in the community, a perfect example of Federal-style architecture.
Sullivan was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated in 1848. He was commissioned as a midshipman and spent the next six years primarily at sea, serving aboard four different vessels, including duty during the Mexican–American War.[1] In April 1854, he resigned from the Navy and returned home to Indiana, where he studied law, passed his bar exam, and opened a private practice.[2]
Late December, Sullivan received General Grant's General Order #11, December 17, 1862, ordering the expulsion of all Jews in his military district. Sullivan refused to execute the order according to Rabbi Isaac Mayer. "He thought he was an officer of the army and not of a church."[3] Four days later, Sullivan was forced to comply. Abraham Lincoln revoked Grant's General Order January 4, 1863.
During the Valley Campaigns of 1864, Sullivan drew the ire of his superior, David Hunter, for his lack of initiative and was replaced by Brig. Gen. George Crook on July 16. Sullivan was never again given a significant command. He resigned from the army on May 11, 1865, and tellingly was not among the scores of Union generals who received brevet promotions to higher rank at the close of hostilities.[4]
Postbellum career
Sullivan moved to Oakland, Maryland, after the war, and then headed west to California in 1878. Despite his previous training and experience as an attorney, he instead worked at a variety of menial clerical jobs in both states.