★  Ripley, James Wolfe

James Wolfe Ripley


Ripley.jpg

:us34stars:

Born: December 10, 1794

Birthplace: Windham County, Connecticut

Father: Captain Ralph Ripley 1751 – 1827
(Buried: Windham Center Cemetery, Windham, Connecticut)​

Mother: Eunice Huntington 1756 – 1828
(Buried: Windham Center Cemetery, Windham, Connecticut)​

Wife: Sarah Denny 1802 – 1888
(Buried: Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts)​

Children:

Adeline Denny Ripley Hooper 1825 – 1902​
(Buried: Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts)​
Langdon Cheves Ripley 1827 – 1827​
Emma Ripley 1828 – 1828​
Isabella Ripley 1829 – 1830​
Maria Louisa Ripley 1832 – 1887​
Roland Ripley 1834 – 1838​
Isabella Ripley 1836 – 1844​
Emma Ripley 1838 – 1846​
Zelina Ripley Bartholomew 1840 – 1937​
(Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York)​

Education:

1814: Graduated from West Point Military Academy​

Occupation before War:

1814 – 1818: 2nd Lt. United States Army Artillery​
1818 – 1821: 1st Lt. United States Army Artillery​
1821 – 1825: 1st Lt. United States Army 4th Artillery​
1825 – 1832: Captain United States Army, 4th​ Artillery​
1832 – 1838: Captain United States Army Ordnance​
1833 – 1842: Commander of Kennebec Arsenal, Maine​
1835 – 1842: Inspector of Cannon at Kennebec Arsenal, Maine​
1838 – 1854: Major United States Army Ordnance​
1848: Brevetted Lt. Colonel for his service in Mexican War​
1854 – 1861: Lt. Colonel United States Army Ordnance​

Civil War Career:

1861: Colonel and Chief of Ordnance for United States Army​
1861: Brevetted Brigadier General in United States Army​
1861 – 1863: Brig. General and Chief of Ordnance for U.S. Army​
1861 – 1863: Chief of the U.S. Army Bureau of Ordnance​
1863: Retired from United States Army on September 15th
1863 – 1869: Inspector of Armament on New England Coast​
1865: Brevetted Major General in United States Army​

Died: March 15, 1870

Place of Death: Hartford, Connecticut

Age at time of Death: 76 years old

Burial Place: Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Massachusetts
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not understanding how it is so many men had such long necks back then (verified by the height of stand up collars they were expected to wear).
 
Breaks my heart to see so many of his children die so young. Half the one that died were in infancy and the other half between 4 and 8 yrs old. That seems like a lot, even for that time. The oldest and youngest daughter lived quite long lives however; and then the one in the middle into what, about her 50's is it? Zelina almost made it to 100!

I'm not sure why I'm so intrigued by the family aspects of these bios. I'm always interested in these not-so-well-known people, like what their lives were like, their children and what they did when they grew up and things like that. I guess the mundane things interest me (their names always intrigue me as well; these people back in this day had some interesting names).
 
He was already pretty well aged when He took over the Ordnance Department.and very resistant to change. The vast majority of rifles He was responsible for testing and purchasing were muzzleloaders. His resistance to "modernization" is the main reason Lincoln forced Him out in favor of George D. Ramsay.
 
I saw one of his children is buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. Lived near Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx and have family that live in Woodlawn. Admiral David Farragut is buried there. Confederate General Mansfield Lovell is also buried there.
 
A biography states men born in the last century were resistant to change and modernization of military weaponry. And it points to Ripley as a prime example,he stubbornly resisted change. Of the 700,000 Rifles purchased in the first 14 months on his job at the Ordnance Department only 8, 271 were breechloaders.
 
Last edited:
And it wasn't just Rifles that were outdated, artillery as well. On September 15, 1863 Lincoln and Stanton eventually forced him out in favor of George D. Ramsay who was more willing to "modernize". Ripley was however brevetted to major general.
 
Cadets (like himself) who entered West Point during the war of 1812 were raced through their studies to be commissioned in only one year.Ripley graduated with General Henry Thurston, who resigned in 1863
 
Back
Top