SULLY, Thomas, painter, born at Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, 8 June, 1783 ; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 5 November, 1872. At the age of nine he was brought by his parents to the United States. His father placed him in 1795 in an insurance broker's office, but it soon became evident that art was his true vocation. In 1799 he joined his brother Laurence, a miniature-painter, at Richmond, Virginia, and two years later removed with him to Norfolk. Thomas soon surpassed his brother, and began to try his hand at oil portraits, aided somewhat by Henry Bembridge. He determined to go to London for study, and worked hard to gain sufficient money to carry him there. But the death of his brother in 1804 decided him to remain and protect the latter's family, whom he had left unprovided for. In 1806, after marrying his brother's widow, Sully went to New York, where he resided until 1808. In 1807 he made a short visit to Boston, where he had some instruction and advice from Gilbert Stuart. He returned to Philadelphia in 1809, and went the same year to London. Here he studied for some time under Benjamin West, and made copies after old masters that had been contracted for in this country, after which he embarked for New York in 1810. He now settled permanently in Philadelphia. During the following years he executed numerous portraits, notably those of George Frederick Cooke as Richard III., which is owned by the Pennsylvania academy" Benjamin Rush (1814); and Commander Decatur, in the city-hall, New York. In 1818 the legislature of North Carolina applied to him for two full-length portraits of Washington. Sully, in reply, proposed to paint a historical picture which should represent some memorable action of the great commander, and suggested the crossing of the Delaware. This was agreed upon; but when Sully wrote for the dimensions of the space that the picture was to occupy, he received no answer. Nevertheless, he proceeded with the work on a canvas of large size. When, after a considerable expense of time and money, the picture was finished, he was informed that there was no place fitted to receive it, and it was thrown upon his hands. The picture finally came into the possession of the Boston museum. Sully was perhaps most successful in his portraits of women. Henry T. Tuckerman says of him : "His organization fits him to sympathize with the fair and lovely rather than the grand or comic .... Sully's forte is the graceful." Among his numerous portraits, of which many have been engraved, are those of General Jonathan Williams (1815); Bishop William White, of Pennsylvania; Lafayette, in Independence hall, Philadelphia; Thomas Jefferson, painted for the United States military academy (1821); Fanny Kemble and her father, Charles Kemble; Reverdy Johnson ; Charles Carroll, of Carrollton ; Queen Victoria, painted in 1837-'8 for the St. George society, Philadelphia ; Rembrandt Peale ; Percival Drayton (1827) ; Alexander J. Dallas ; Dr. Philip Syng Physick ; Joseph Hopkinson ; George M. Dallas; and Robert F. Stockton (1851). The Corcoran gallery owns the portraits of James Madison, Andrew Jackson (1825), John Marshall, and a portrait of himself. He painted also some figure-pieces and historical pictures, among which are "Capture of Major Andre" (1812) and " Miranda" (1815). Sully wrote an autobiographical sketch, "Recollections of an Old Painter," which appeared in "Hours at Home" for November, 1869. His "Hints to Young Painters," which he prepared for the press in 1851 and revised in 1871, was published after his death (Philadelphia, 1873).--His son, THOMAS, and his daughter, JANE, afterward Mrs. John C. Darley, followed their father's profession.--Another son, Alfred, soldier, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1821; died in Fort Vancouver, Washington territory, 17 April, 1879, was graduated at the United States military academy in 1841, assigned to the 2d infantry, which was then engaged in the Seminole war, and participated with credit in the attack on Hawe Creek camp, 25 January, 1842. He was on garrison duty on the great lakes till the Mexican war, and after the siege of Vera Cruz in 1847 was ordered to the north on recruiting service. He was then stationed in California, and on 22 February, 1849, was promoted to captain. In 1853 he was sent with others to re-enforce the governor of Oregon in his operations against the Rogue river Indians, and in December of that year. while on his way to New York, he was wrecked off the California coast and remained six days on a desert island. He was then in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Dakota till 1858, and, after spending a year in Europe on leave of absence, took part in operations against the Cheyenne Indians in 1860-'1. He then served in the de-fences of Washington till 4 March, 1862, when he became colonel of the 3d Minnesota regiment. He led a brigade during the change of base to James river, and was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, United States army, for gallantry at Fair Oaks, and colonel for Malvern Hill. After engaging in the northern Virginia and Maryland campaigns, he was made brigadier-general of volunteers, 1 October, 1862. He led his brigade at, Chancellorsville, and in May, 1863, was assigned to the command of the Department of Dakota, where he soon gained note by his expeditions against hostile northwestern Indians, especially in the engagement at White Stone Hill, 3 September, 1863, that at Tah-kah-ha-kuty, 28 July, 1864, and the skirmish in the Bad Lands, 8 August, 1864. He was given the brevet of major-general of volunteers, and that of brigadier-general in the regular army, at the close of the war, and subsequently served on the board of promotion, and was on special service in the interior department at Washington. He was made lieutenant-colonel, 28 July, 1866, and colonel of the 10th infantry, 10 December, 1872.