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VITAL STATISTICS
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BORN: 1823 in Worthington, OH.
DIED: 1887 in New York, NY.
CAMPAIGNS: Fort Sumpter, Peninsula, Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill,
Gaines' Mill, and Antietam.
HIGHEST RANK ACHIEVED: Brigadier General
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BIOGRAPHY
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| Roswell Sabine Ripley was born in Worthington, Ohio, on March 14, 1823. His father was a captain in the War of 1812, and his uncle was Union Brig. Gen. James W. Ripley. Roswell Ripley graduated from West Point in 1843, and served in the artillery. He fought in the Mexican War, later writing a two-volume history of the war entitled "The War with Mexico" (1849). Appointed to the staffs of Gen. Zachary Taylor and Gen. Gideon Pillow, he was twice brevetted for gallantry. Ripley also he fought against Seminoles in Florida. He married a woman from Charleston in 1852, resigning from the army the next year to settle his wife's estates. Developing an interest in the South Carolina militia, he became a major of ordnance by 1860. In 1861, he led troops at Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter. Promoted to brigadier general as of August 15, 1861, he led the Department of South Carolina for several months. Ripley joined the Army of Northern Virginia in June of 1862, and fought through the Peninsula Campaign. After suffering heavy losses at Mechanicsville and Malvern Hill, he was criticized for poor leadership at Gaines' Mill. During Lee's invasion of Maryland, Ripley did not perform well, and was wounded in the neck three days later at Antietam. He was recalled to South Carolina, where he commanded the 1st Artillery District, then served in North Carolina in March of 1865. After the Civil War, Ripley became a businessman, lived in London for a period and wrote about the war. He died on March 29, 1887, in New York, New York. |
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