March 15-17, 2022 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/15/2022
A pocket size roll-up surgical kit typical of those carried by surgeons at front line aid stations with period ink notes by the surgeon. Displayed in a period wood frame for exhibit in a veteran’s hall or historical society, the kit in an upper section and bullets extracted from wounded soldiers by the surgeon suspended by cords in the lower section. The kit is displayed open, showing contents of scalpel, forceps, suture needles, etc., and a note reading: “This case was taken from a rebel Surgeon’s tent at Fairfax Court House, Va., while on the march to the first fight at Bull Rn. And was used by Asst. Surgeon J. Sullivan until the close of the war.” The lower section has 7 short cords suspending 9 bullets or bullet fragments against a black background, with a note reading, “These Balls were extracted from wound soldiers by John Sullivan Assistant Surgeon 13th Regt. N.H. Vols.” John E. Sullivan (1840-1908,) a medical student in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1860, got the kit while in the 2nd New Hampshire in 1861. Serving as a private in Company E from June to September, he was detailed to the regiment’s medical staff, assisting in the “first capital operation of the war upon a New Hampshire soldier,” in which a severely wounded Sergeant Isaac W. Derby had his arm amputated “while he was held down by a fence rail at night with the only light from a tallow candle and a brush fire.” At Centreville during the retreat after Bull Run he was photographed seated next to the regimental surgeon in an August 1861 image of the regiment’s medical personnel. The regimental history mentions the large number of souvenirs picked up in abandoned Rebel camps at Fairfax Court House on the march to First Bull Run: “of some of the looting done, the less said the better.” Sullivan was appointed as a Medical Cadet U.S.A. in September 1861 and served in army hospitals in Missouri and Kentucky until commissioned Assistant Surgeon 13th NH in October 1862, when he started using the kit. He served until August 1864 when discharged for health reasons, “The severe duties, cares and the climate are surely killing him” and is frequently mentioned in their regimental history, noted as serving more than half the time as Acting Surgeon, and specifically noted as on the field at Fredericksburg, where he searched for wounded by lantern light in front of the stone wall while under constant rebel fire whenever the lantern light was uncovered. He is also mentioned for his acts at Drewry’s Bluff, Cold Harbor, and elsewhere, cutting the coat off a wounded officer, among many other noteworthy acts. He was well regarded for his care of the men and after discharge again joined the Medical Department as Acting Asst. Surgeon at the General Hospital in Troy, NY, until discharged in June 1865. He worked as a druggist in Boston after the war and was also a practicing physician in Manchester, NH. He died at a soldier’s home in Maine in 1908. This is wonderful Civil War relic that would be a centerpiece in any display. CONDITION: The tools exhibit typical wear. The papers with notes have yellowed and the ink has slightly faded in scattered areas. The deformed bullets exhibit expected oxidation and intriguingly fragments of fabric which were most likely ripped from uniforms when the soldier was wounded. The display is most likely untouched since its time when it was displayed after the war. Screws are loose in the corners. The kit was part once part of the renowned John K. Lattimer collection, which was known to include pieces that reflected Lattimer’s exquisite taste. This is an excellent, world class example of an identified and field used Civil War surgeon’s kit from an assistant surgeon who distinguished himself on the battlefield. SBR/JLD
Item Dimensions: 12 - 1/2" X 6 - 1/2"
Paperwork
Unit History Excerpts, Printed Photos