Roswell Sabine Ripley | |
---|---|
Born |
Worthington, Ohio |
March 14, 1823
Died | March 29, 1887 New York City |
(aged 64)
Place of burial | Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston |
Allegiance |
United States of America Confederate States of America |
Service/branch |
United States Army Confederate States Army |
Years of service | 1843–53 (USA), 1861–65 (CSA) |
Rank |
Brevet Major (USA) Brigadier General (CSA) |
Battles/wars |
U.S.-Mexican War - Battle of Monterey - Battle of Veracruz - Battle of Cerro Gordo - Battle of Contreras - Battle of Churubusco - Battle of Molino del Rey - Battle of Chapultepec - Battle of Mexico City Seminole Wars American Civil War - Battle of Fort Sumter - Battle of Mechanicsville - Battle of Gaines Mill - Battle of Malvern Hill - Battle of South Mountain - Battle of Antietam - Battle of Fredericksburg - Charleston Harbor |
Roswell Sabine Ripley (March 14, 1823 – March 29, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and, despite being Northern-born, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. He was also an author and a prosperous South Carolina businessman.
Ripley was born in Worthington, Ohio, a small village in Franklin County not far from Columbus. His family relocated to the state of New York, where he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy. He graduated in 1843, ranked 7th out of 39 cadets. Other classmates in his year included Ulysses S. Grant, William B. Franklin, William S. Rosecrans, Samuel G. French and Franklin Gardner. He was assigned as a second lieutenant to garrison duty, as well as becoming an artillery instructor.
Lieutenant Ripley served in the Mexican-American War on the staffs of Gen. Zachary Taylor and Gen. Gideon Pillow, and saw action at the battles of Monterey, Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the capture of Mexico City. For gallantry in action, Ripley was brevetted captain for Cerro Gordo and major for Chapultepec. He published a History of the Mexican War (2 vols., New York, 1849).