{⋆★⋆} BG Ripley, Roswell S.

Roswell Sabine Ripley​

Born: March 14, 1823

Birth Place: Worthington, Ohio

Father: Christopher Ripley 1781 – 1851

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Mother: Julia Calkins 1794 – 1876

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Wife: Alicia Middleton 1824 – 1899 (Married: 12 – 22 – 1852)

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Children:

Alicia Middleton Ripley Trenholm 1855 – 1926​

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Education:

1843: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (7th​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1843 – 1846: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery

​

1845 – 1846: Assistant Mathematics Professor at West Point​

​

1846 – 1847: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1853: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1848: Aide to Major General Gideon Pillow​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army on March 2nd​​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army to settle his wife's estates​

​

1853 – 1854: Publisher of Baltimore Daily American Times Newspaper​

​

1854 – 1861: Businessman in Charleston, South Carolina​

​

1854 – 1860: Served in South Carolina State Militia rising to Major​

Civil War Career:

1861: Lt. Colonel of South Carolina State Militia​

​

1861: South Carolina State Acting Adjutant General​

​

1861: Participated in the Battle of Fort Sumter​

​

1861 – 1865: Brigadier General in Confederate Army​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Mechanicsville, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of South Mountain​

​

1862: Wounded in the neck during the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland​

​

1862: Participated in the Defenses of Fredericksburg, Virginia​

​

1862 – 1864: Commander of First Military District, South Carolina​

​

1863: Commander of troops that repelled a Union Navy Attack in South Carolina​

​

Commander of Charleston, South Carolina fortifications until city fell​

​

1864 – 1865: Fought under the command of General Johnston​

​

1865: Participated in the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina​

Life after the War:

Lived in England for twenty years​

​

Went Bankrupt​

​

1884: Moved to New York City after Grover Cleveland elected​

​

Lived in New York City at the New York Hotel​

​

Well respected in Europe for his military achievements​

​

1884: Moved to New York after election of Grover Cleveland​

​

Very Poor

Died: March 29, 1887

Place of Death: New York City, New York

Cause of Death: Massive Stroke

Age at time of Death: 64 years old

Funeral: St. Michael's Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Wife didn't attend funeral, but daughter did.

Burial Place: Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina

 

[Sjanediana]

P

Roswell Sabine Ripley​

Born: March 14, 1823View attachment 349995

Birth Place: Worthington, Ohio

Father: Christopher Ripley 1781 – 1851

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Mother: Julia Calkins 1794 – 1876

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Wife: Alicia Middleton 1824 – 1899 (Married: 12 – 22 – 1852)

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Children:

Alicia Middleton Ripley Trenholm 1855 – 1926​

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Education:

1843: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (7th​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1843 – 1846: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ ArtilleryView attachment 349996​

​

1845 – 1846: Assistant Mathematics Professor at West Point​

​

1846 – 1847: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1853: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1848: Aide to Major General Gideon Pillow​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army on March 2nd​​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army to settle his wife's estates​

​

1853 – 1854: Publisher of Baltimore Daily American Times Newspaper​

​

1854 – 1861: Businessman in Charleston, South Carolina​

​

1854 – 1860: Served in South Carolina State Militia rising to Major​

Civil War Career:

1861: Lt. Colonel of South Carolina State Militia​

​

1861: South Carolina State Acting Adjutant General​

​

1861: Participated in the Battle of Fort Sumter​

​

1861 – 1865: Brigadier General in Confederate Army​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Mechanicsville, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of South Mountain​

​

1862: Wounded in the neck during the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland​

​

1862: Participated in the Defenses of Fredericksburg, Virginia​

​

1862 – 1864: Commander of First Military District, South Carolina​

​

1863: Commander of troops that repelled a Union Navy Attack in South Carolina​

​

Commander of Charleston, South Carolina fortifications until city fell​

​

1864 – 1865: Fought under the command of General Johnston​

​

1865: Participated in the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina​

Life after the War:

Lived in England for twenty years​

​

Went Bankrupt​

​

1884: Moved to New York City after Grover Cleveland elected​

​

Lived in New York City at the New York Hotel​

​

Well respected in Europe for his military achievements​

​

1884: Moved to New York after election of Grover Cleveland​

​

Very Poor View attachment 349997​

Died: March 29, 1887

Place of Death: New York City, New York

Cause of Death: Massive Stroke

Age at time of Death: 64 years old

Funeral: St. Michael's Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Wife didn't attend funeral, but daughter did.

Burial Place: Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina

the article starts by saying he's buried in Ogden cemetery NY than ends with him buried i. SC ?

 

[Bruce Vail]

I've read that Ripley was charged with drunkenness but that the court martial proceedings were never completed. The circumstances are pretty cloudy.

 

[gentlemanrob]

P

the article starts by saying he's buried in Ogden cemetery NY than ends with him buried i. SC ?

I have actually visited his grave in Charleston

 

[Bruce Vail]

FYI - There is a relatively new (2017) bio by author Chet Bennett:

Resolute Rebel: General Roswell S. Ripley, Charleston's Gallant Defender

I haven't read it, but am informed that it seeks to present a more positive view of Ripley's career to counterballance the mostly negative material that has appeared in numerous books.

See https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611177545/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

 

[Bruce Vail]

Good mini review of Bennett's Ripley bio:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First Biography of Ripley is a Worthy Effort
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018
Format: Hardcover

Let me admit up front I have always had something of a soft spot for Roswell Ripley. It comes not from his battlefield prowess (which was less than stellar) or any other particular attribute I can put my finger on. Rather, I became familiar with his name during my formative reading years as a teenager and so associate it with the formative months of the Army of Northern Virginia. Historians don't think much of the man as a general, though most of what we knew of Ripley came to us in dribs and drabs—a few sentences here, a footnote there. This paucity of information ended with the publication of Bennett's outstanding Resolute Rebel.

Roswell Ripley was born in Ohio in 1823, but his family moved to New York and he was appointed to West Point from that state. He was an excellent student, ranked 7th out of 39 cadets when he graduated in 1843, and his future held great promise. Many in the Class of 1843 would rise to prominent positions during the Civil War, including Ulysses S. Grant and William Rosecrans. Roswell would not be among them.

Ripley's Mexican War service offered the young officer a unique opportunity that would ricochet like an errant shot to injure him years later in ways he could have never foreseen. He served as a staff officer for Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, participated in many battles, and received two brevets to end the war a major. For those interested in trivia and relationship ripples, Ripley penned The War with Mexico (1849), a two-volume comprehensive account that remains the only one penned by a participant. Some of his fellow officers took umbrage with its pro-Democrat (anti-Whig) slant, and may also have been jealous at his ability to finagle a long leave of absence to write a book almost certain to further his professional career. According to Bennett, Daniel H. Hill didn't like how Ripley portrayed General Scott, and held a life-long grudge against the Ohioan that would spill over into the Civil War.

Tone-deaf as to how his actions would be perceived by others, Ripley spent much of the balance of his antebellum career making demands for additional leave for personal matters. The manner in which he resigned in 1853 left a bad taste in the mouth of Adjutant General Samuel Cooper, who years later as the highest-ranking Confederate paper-pushing general would be in a position to settle the score with his pen.

Ripley was serving at Fort Moultrie when he married local Charleston widow Alicia Sparks, resigned from the US Army, and embarked on a business career. When South Carolina seceded Ripley volunteered his services to the state and was appointed a major of ordnance.

Most of his service was spent defending Charleston harbor, where he put his outstanding skills as an artillerist and engineer to good use. Ripley worked closely with General P. G. T. Beauregard, who thought highly of him and praised his efforts. During the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Ripley led his men "in his shirtsleeves working the guns himself." Four months passed without a well-deserved promotion until August 15, when he was finally elevated to brigadier general in the Confederate Army.

Though talented and generally affable, Ripley was independent-minded and occasionally sharp of tongue (though not in the league of D. H. Hill). His subordinates liked him; some of his superiors less so. When Ripley rebuked South Carolina's governor Pickens for his irksome micromanagement, the governor kicked the matter upstairs to President Davis and alleged Ripley despised department commander Robert E. Lee and was saying unkind things to junior officers "well-calculated to do great injury to General Lee's command." Lee, however, was generally pleased with Ripley. Douglas Freeman's handling of this matter has influenced how history judges Ripley. The legendary biographer embellished the affair, claiming Ripley "took a violent dislike for Lee," who developed a "contemptuous dislike" for Ripley. According to the author, there is no evidence to support any such thing.

Ripley was ordered to Virginia in the spring of 1862 to take command of a brigade of infantry, which he led under Lee during the inaugural weeks of the Army of Northern Virginia. Unfortunately for Ripley, his division commander was D. H. Hill. Ripley attacked with his brigade and was bloodily repulsed at Beaver Dam Creek in the Seven Days' Battles, for which he was criticized by Hill who had ordered him to make it. Author Clifford Dowdey, of the same school as Freeman, heaped contempt upon Ripley that appears unjust. This, too, has colored our view of the brigadier.

Ripley is often accused of mishandling his brigade on South Mountain, which author Bennett agrees was the case. Still, there is no evidence, as Hill and others claimed, that he did so deliberately to avoid personal exposure. Three days later at Sharpsburg Ripley was in the middle of the action, advancing his brigade across the Mumma farm when he "received a severe wound in the throat, which would have proved fatal but for passing through his cravat." The brigadier had his throat bandaged and returned to his command with the bullet still in his neck.

Ripley's four-month stint with the Virginia army was at an end. He requested a return to Charleston to serve under Beauregard (though the two would later have a falling-out), and spent most of the rest of the war there in the complicated (and successful) defense of the city.

The remainder of the book (nearly 100 pages) deals with Ripley's unhappy postwar life. The Ohioan traveled to England to leverage his knowledge of armaments, went bankrupt, his wife left him, and he became estranged from his daughter. His writings offered one of the few bright spots of this time in his life. The former general's health deteriorated and he died of a stroke in 1887. He was buried with honors in Charleston, fondly memorialized by the citizens he helped defend and those who had served with him.

SO WHY FOUR STARS AND NOT FIVE?

Bennett's Resolute Rebel is a well-written biography that adds substantial flesh to biographical skeleton that was Ripley. Given all the obvious effort that went into this study, however, the research and presentation is a mixed bag. The maps are barely adequate. Bennett's handling of Ripley's Civil War service in Charleston is much more detailed than his time with Lee's army, but 1861-1865 is thinly researched and the majority of the citations are to the Official Records and a handful of secondary sources. His Antietam coverage is a mere two pages with but little context, and many sources (including the Ezra Carman papers and his now-published three-volume study) were not consulted. Ripley's postwar years (which are fascinating) are on a more solid archival foundation that includes extensive research in England. However, the people most likely to want to read this, will do so because he was a Confederate general, not because of what he did after the war.

Curiously, though there is a colorized image on the jacket, there is not a single photo of Ripley in this study. The oversight is eyebrow-raising for a biography, especially since images of the man abound.

Ripley's contributions to the Confederacy were more extensive than most believe, and the general has long merited a good full-length biography. If Confederate generals and the defense of Charleston are in your wheelhouse, Resolute Rebel deserves to be on your bookshelf. At nearly $50, however, the book seems destined for a much smaller audience, which is a shame because it deserves to be owned and read.

 

[gentlemanrob]

FYI - There is a relatively new (2017) bio by author Chet Bennett:

Resolute Rebel: General Roswell S. Ripley, Charleston's Gallant Defender

I haven't read it, but am informed that it seeks to present a more positive view of Ripley's career to counterballance the mostly negative material that has appeared in numerous books.

See https://www.amazon.com/Resolute-Reb...s-Defender/dp/1611177545&tag=civilwartalkc-20

i own it but never read it

 

[Philip Leigh]

Roswell Sabine Ripley​

Born: March 14, 1823View attachment 349995

Birth Place: Worthington, Ohio

Father: Christopher Ripley 1781 – 1851

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Mother: Julia Calkins 1794 – 1876

(Buried: Ogdensburg Cemetery, Ogdensburg, New York)​

Wife: Alicia Middleton 1824 – 1899 (Married: 12 – 22 – 1852)

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Children:

Alicia Middleton Ripley Trenholm 1855 – 1926​

(Buried: Saint John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock, North Carolina)​

Education:

1843: Graduated from West Point Military Academy (7th​ in class)​

Occupation before War:

1843 – 1846: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ ArtilleryView attachment 349996​

​

1845 – 1846: Assistant Mathematics Professor at West Point​

​

1846 – 1847: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1853: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 2nd​ Artillery​

​

1847 – 1848: Aide to Major General Gideon Pillow​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army on March 2nd​​

​

1853: Resigned from United States Army to settle his wife's estates​

​

1853 – 1854: Publisher of Baltimore Daily American Times Newspaper​

​

1854 – 1861: Businessman in Charleston, South Carolina​

​

1854 – 1860: Served in South Carolina State Militia rising to Major​

Civil War Career:

1861: Lt. Colonel of South Carolina State Militia​

​

1861: South Carolina State Acting Adjutant General​

​

1861: Participated in the Battle of Fort Sumter​

​

1861 – 1865: Brigadier General in Confederate Army​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Mechanicsville, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia​

​

1862: Participated in the Battle of South Mountain​

​

1862: Wounded in the neck during the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland​

​

1862: Participated in the Defenses of Fredericksburg, Virginia​

​

1862 – 1864: Commander of First Military District, South Carolina​

​

1863: Commander of troops that repelled a Union Navy Attack in South Carolina​

​

Commander of Charleston, South Carolina fortifications until city fell​

​

1864 – 1865: Fought under the command of General Johnston​

​

1865: Participated in the Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina​

Life after the War:

Lived in England for twenty years​

​

Went Bankrupt​

​

1884: Moved to New York City after Grover Cleveland elected​

​

Lived in New York City at the New York Hotel​

​

Well respected in Europe for his military achievements​

​

1884: Moved to New York after election of Grover Cleveland​

​

Very Poor View attachment 349997​

Died: March 29, 1887

Place of Death: New York City, New York

Cause of Death: Massive Stroke

Age at time of Death: 64 years old

Funeral: St. Michael's Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Wife didn't attend funeral, but daughter did.

Burial Place: Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina

His uncle was General James W. Ripley who was Ordnance Chief for Union Army during the first half of the Civil War.

 

[Pollaco]

His participation in the Fort Sumter bombardment was as Lt.Colonel of the 1st South Carolina Artillery Battalion Regulars stationed on Sullivan's Island.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday! Remembering General Ripley on his birthday.

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday Brig. General Roswell S. Ripley! Salutes remembering General Ripley on his birthday.

 

[ErnieMac]

Ripley was apparently not an easy man to get along with. Attached is a short biography written by Robert K. Krick.

Rebel Pariah: General Roswell Ripley

Confederate General Officer Roswell Sabine Ripley hardly fit the image of a gallant Southern officer and even expressed a distaste for Robert E. Lee.

www.historynet.com

 

[USS ALASKA]

CHARLESTON'S FORGOTTEN GENERAL: ROSWELL SABINE RIPLEY
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS In HISTORY
By JENNIFER MADELINE ZOEBELEIN
APRIL 2008
THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AND THE CITADEL
UMI Number: 1450539

This graduate work has been published as open access.

ABSTRACT
During the Civil War, Roswell Sabine Ripley was one of the most significant military leaders in the Charleston theatre of operations and beyond. Rising from the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the South Carolina militia, he ended his military career as a Brigadier-General in the service of the Confederate States Army. Current historiography provides limited, if any, analysis or synthesis of the career of this military leader. The purpose of this research is to provide a biographical summary of Ripley's military contributions throughout the war, and in particular his involvement with the defense of Charleston harbor. This research makes use of various primary sources including personal letters and military correspondence from repositories such as the South Carolina Historical Society, the South Caroliniana, and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. This information coupled with secondary literature allows for a more complete picture of Ripley's personal and military life than does currently exist. The result of this synthesis will illustrate the importance of Ripley's contribution as a military leader in the Civil War and alleviate a missing historiographical component in Civil War history.

Charleston's forgotten general: Roswell Sabine Ripley - ProQuest

Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

www.proquest.com

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[danny]

In June 1863, Beauregard tried to peddle Ripley to Joe Johnston, admitting that he "is not satisfied with my system & rule… [But] could be of much use to you" -Beauregard's attempt at what today might be called "addition by subtraction" failed.

1st months of 1864-Censured & denied his request for a leave of absence, Ripley continued his duties from Mount Pleasant & Sullivan's Island. During the 1st months of 1864, Ripley kept his thoughts & any criticisms of the engineers' efforts or lack thereof to himself.



In 1864, Ripley went to trial on formal charges of drunkenness while on duty at Fort Sumter. Witnesses testified to the fact ("from my own personal knowledge"), citing multiple instances. Fragments of the trial record survive, & contemporary accounts give some details, but the official transcript apparently burned at war's end. Among traits witnesses ascribed to Ripley were "a looseness of morals" & "rollicking habits."

4/5/64 Ripley returned from leave on April 5 & asked Beauregard whether he had any additional instructions for the "proper management" of his military district. The cdg Gen replied that he did not but hoped he would soon be able to return one of Gen Evans' Regts to Ripley's district. Beauregard also advised his returning BG that the enemy was preparing an expedition against either Charleston or Savannah

+11/22/64 Evidently Hardee had granted Ripley a 30-day leave. Ripley was at odds with most CS officers [as usual] in the Dept & not on duty. Beauregard informed Richmond that he & Gen Jones agreed Ripley was unfit for duty in Charleston harbor. Beauregard said he intended to order him to duty in the field.

Dec 64-Ripley was on leave in Dec [a matter of differing opinions as under what authority]-He was again upset with Beauregard for ordering him to Miss.



12/12/64 President to Beauregard, Charleston: Yours of this date received. Many eminent citizens of SC, the Governor included, have urged the retention of Gen Ripley at Charleston as conducive to its successful defense. At this time, it seems reasonable that his special knowledge, the result of long service in the exterior works, should be peculiarly valuable & I have been reluctant under the circumstances to remove him. The reiteration of your request for his removal leads me to suppose that there must be some greater necessity for it than had been communicated to me heretofore. If he cannot be trusted in his present position, you are authorized to relieve him & report more fully the facts of the case. If the cause be less grave, you will report its nature & await reply.

12/16/64 Cooper to Beauregard, Charleston-Is Ripley on duty as heretofore at Charleston? If not has he leave of absence?
12/16/64 Beauregard to Cooper-Ripley still on leave granted by Hardee on 11/22 for 30 days

12/23 Beauregard contends that he had ordered Ripley to report to Hood's army, which order Ripley had disobeyed.


12/24 Beauregard to Cooper-I am just informed that Ripley has applied for an extension to his leave. It is hoped his application will not be granted for he is ordered to report to Hood to command one of the SC Bgdes w/o a cdr.

12/25 Twenty years after the war, a New York World reporter interviewed Roswell Ripley regarding a letter he wrote to SC's last wartime governor, Andrew G. Magrath. Dated Dec 25, Ripley's recently published letter may have been found in captured SC archives. During the interview Ripley acknowledged that he offered to resign his CS commission & accept a position under the command of Governor Magrath. When asked whether his letter to the governor was insubordination, Ripley claimed it definitely was not. The precedent had been set when Gen G. W. Smith resigned his commission & accepted a military...


1/9/65, the same day Beauregard disparaged Ripley in his letter to Harris, the Creole belatedly responded to correspondence from Col Gorgas the previous Nov. The chief of ordnance had objected to banding etc., 8- & 10-inch Columbiads by a private firm in Charleston. Reluctant Rebel-Roswell Ripley

1/9/65 Cooper to Hardee at Charleston-Is D H Hill on duty in your command? He was ordered some __days ago to report to Gen Beauregard at Charleston. It is rumored here that Gen Hood desires him. Please advise [state] also ___ ______ Gen Ripley now is & whether on duty.

1/10/65 Charleston (Rec'd 14th) Hardee to Gen Cooper: Your telegram of the 9th rec'd. I telegraphed you on the 8th that Gen Hill had been sent by Gen Beauregard to the Army of Tenn. Gen Ripley was also ordered by Gen Beauregard to report for duty to Gen Hood.

1/20/63[65] Charleston, Gen Ripley to Gen Cooper-my application for extension of leave was appd by the A&IGO. When that expires, I request not to serve under Gen Beauregard

1/21 Richmond-Orders granting 90 days leave for Gen Ripley are hereby revoked
1/21 Cooper to Beauregard, Montgomery-Gen Ripley having permission to apply for an extension of his leave of absence, his application was granted as a matter of course. Your telegram ___ ___ was not rec'd in time ...or the application would have been denied__ ___is reached by telegram today. He has been ordered to report to you.
1/21 Cooper to Ripley, Charleston-The extension of your leave of absence is denied. Report at once in person to Gen Beauregard

1/25 Montgomery, Brent Col & AAG to Gen Beauregard, Mobile: Lee's Corps, now passing through, is destitute of clothing. I shall order all to be had here to be issued to them. Cheatham is, I learn, in like condition. I will telegraph to Gen Lawton to make provision for them at Augusta. Gen Ripley's leave has been revoked & he is ordered here

1/28/65 Beauregard told D H Hill at August to retain Ripley should he be there. Beauregard intended Ripley to take command of Gist's Bgde.

2/4 AAG's office endorses to Sec of War-Ripley's leave was extended at this office. Beauregard intimated his objection to the extension since he had ordered Ripley to duty w/the A o T.
In consequence of this statement the extension of leave was revoked & he was ordered by orders of 1/21 to report in person w/o delay to Gen Beauregard.

2/9 Davis to Gen Lee-Gen Ripley visits you for the purpose of presenting to you his views in regard to matters in SC, & more particularly the city of Charleston. I would be happy if you would afford him the opportunity of giving him & audience on the subjects mentioned, being those concerning which your suggestions to Gen Beauregard are desired.

2/11Columbia-Beauregard to Hardee-Should Gen Ripley be still in Charleston please ask for the reason why he has not joined his Bgde in Augusta fronting the enemy, & order him here forthwith, via Columbia. Should he disobey, send him in arrest.

2/12 Columbia, Beauregard to Cooper-Am informed Ripley is again in Richmond, notwithstanding repeated orders to join his Bgde, now fronting enemy near Augusta. I request he be ordered to his post forthwith.

2/12 Columbia, Beauregard to Hardee-Gen Ripley's leave was canceled by War Dept. He ought to be with his command, now fronting enemy near Augusta.

2/14 XIII Pursuant to telegram from this officer under date of 1/21, Gen Ripley, will immediately proceed to Columbia & report to Gen Beauregard for assignment to duty with his proper command. -Sec of War

A characteristic letter from Ripley to authorities in Richmond early in 1865 demanded that he not be assigned anywhere under Beauregard. The final note in his service record, dated 2/14, nevertheless ordered precisely that—report to Beauregard.

3/2/65 Burton, the President's envoy said he ran across Ripley in Charlotte at the Mansion House Hotel.

Beauregard & Johnston ran into Ripley at Charlotte advising him to take command of Brown's Div when it arrived. It did not arrive until 3/11.

In Charlotte, Gen'ls J. E. Johnston & Beauregard finally caught up with Ripley & tentatively placed their delinquent Gen in command of Brown's Div, Cheatham's Corps. Ripley waited at the Manor House hotel for the Div's arrival, but that road-weary unit from the Army of Tenn did not reach Charlotte until March 11.

3/15 Gen Johnston established his Hqs at Smithfield, NC, & hurriedly attempted to reorganize the disparate forces now under his command.

3/16 The following day Beauregard ordered his AAG, Col George W. Brent, to Chester, SC, "to expedite movement of troops...

Johnston relieved Ripley of any significant field command & he was instructed to expedite the troops.

In late March, during the three-day Battle of Bentonville, the disgruntled Ripley reached the army

3/21/65 Brown's Div- (Arrived on the battlefield] Ripley not reported

3/26/65 in the field-Report of the actual cdrs of the different Div's & Bgdes in the Army of Tenn, in accordance with orders from army Hqs of this date:
Brown's Div, Gen Roswell S. Ripley
Late in the war, Ripley also came under criticism for war profiteering in speculation & blockade running, making "lots of money."

The exact date of Ripley's arrival in England is not known. However, indications are that he, accompanied by his wife & daughter, probably reached London in the spring of 1866.

 

[Pollaco]

West Point Class of 1843, that was Grant's class as well wasn't it?

 

[ErnieMac]

West Point Class of 1843, that was Grant's class as well wasn't it?

Yes, Ripley was number 7, Grant number 21 out of a class of 39.

 

[Pollaco]

One biography of Ripley has him commanding Brown's division in Cheatham's Corps AOT from only March 19 to April 9, 1865.