Farewell Concert

is sullivan ballou a union or a confederate soldier?

i love the letter to sarah and the song “asokan farewell” that goes with it. i even played the violin solo and my dad read the letter during my winter concert but i was wondering was he a union or a confederate soldier?

is sullivan ballou a union or a confederate soldier?He was an Union soldier———————Sullivan Ballou (March 28, 1829 – July 28, 1861), was a lawyer, politician, and major in the United States Army. He is best remembered for the eloquent letter he wrote to his wife a week before he and his Rhode Island militia fought in the First Battle of Bull Run.Ballou devoted his brief life to public service. Shortly after being admitted to the bar, he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he served as a clerk, and later as the speaker. He was a staunch Republican and supporter of Abraham Lincoln.

When war broke out, Ballou immediately left what appeared to be a promising political career and volunteered for military service with the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry. In addition to his combat duties, he served as the Rhode Island militia’s judge advocate.

Ballou and 93 of his men were mortally wounded at Bull Run. In an attempt to better direct his men, Ballou took a horse mounted position in front of his regiment, when a 6-pounder solid shot from Confederate artillery tore off his right leg and simultaneously killed his horse. The badly injured Major was then carried off the field and the remainder of his leg was amputated. Ballou died from his wound a week after that Union defeat and was buried in the yard of nearby Sudley Church. After the battle the territory was occupied by Confederate forces. According to witness testimony, it was at this time that Ballou’s corpse was exhumed, decapitated, and desecrated by Confederate soldiers possibly belonging to the 21st Georgia regiment. Ballou’s body was never recovered.[1]

In place of his body, charred ash and bone believed to be his remains were reburied in Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island. His wife, Sarah, never remarried. She later moved to New Jersey to live out her life with her son, William. She died in 1917 and is buried next to her husband.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Ballou

Cream – Politician (Farewell Concert, Royal Albert Hall – 1968)