Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (April 15, 1782 – March 2, 1839) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general, and later served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, from 1835 until 1839. He was also a slave owner.

Life

Ripley was born in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

. He was the grandson of

Eleazar Wheelock Eleazar Wheelock (April 22, 1711 – April 24, 1779) was an American Congregationalism in the United States, Congregational minister, orator, and educator in present-day Columbia, Connecticut, for 35 years before founding Dartmouth College in ...

, the founder of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

, and the nephew of

John Wheelock John Wheelock (January 28, 1754 – April 4, 1817) was the eldest son of Eleazar Wheelock who was the founder and first president of Dartmouth College; John Wheelock succeeded his father as the College’s second president. Early life John W ...

, the college's president. His father, Sylvanus, taught at Dartmouth in the 1780s, and Eleazer graduated from the school in 1800.Francis Samuel Drake,
Dictionary of American Biography, Including Men of the Time
' (J.S. Osgood and Company, 1872), p. 770. His earliest ancestor

Ralph Wheelock Ralph Wheelock (1600–1683) was an English Puritan minister, American colonial public official, and educator. He is known for having been the first public school teacher in America. Early life and education Wheelock was most likely born in 160 ...

arrived to

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

around 1636 during the Great Migration. Ripley practiced law in

Kennebec County, Maine Kennebec County is a county located in the South-central portion of the U.S. state of Maine. At the 2020 census, the population was 123,642. Its county seat is Augusta, the state capital. The county was established on February 20, 1799, from ...

, and

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. He served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

from 1810 to 1811, and was elected to the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

in 1812. In August 1812, following the outbreak of the War of 1812, he organized the 21st United States Infantry Regiment, and was given the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was promoted to colonel in March 1813. Most of the regiment's soldiers came from Massachusetts and Maine. Soldiers from the regiment took part in several battles, including

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(in which Ripley was wounded), Sacketts Harbor, Crysler's Farm. In April 1814, Ripley was promoted to Brigadier General. (Lieutenant Colonel James Miller, late of the 4th US Infantry Regiment was appointed to succeed him in command of the 21st Infantry.) Ripley was appointed to command the Second Brigade (which included the 21st Infantry) of Major General Jacob Brown's Left Division on the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

. At the

Battle of Lundy's Lane The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara or contemporarily as the Battle of Bridgewater, was fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-d ...

, Ripley's brigade captured and held the British guns until the American withdrawal. However, he was blamed by Brown for losing the guns during the withdrawal and later demanded a court martial to clear his name. Ripley briefly commanded Brown's division during the

Siege of Fort Erie The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans ...

after Brown was wounded at Lundy's Lane, but was superseded by Brigadier General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. He was conspicuous in the repulse of a British assault on August 16, and in an American sortie on September 17, in which he was wounded. Ripley was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the precursor to the Medal of Honor, for his wartime service. He moved to

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, in 1815,Charles Peterson,
The Military Heroes of the War of 1812
' (W.A. Lundy, 1849), pp. 159-166. and left the army in 1820 to continue his career in politics. He served in the Louisiana State Senate in 1832. He served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Louisiana's Second District from March 4, 1835, to March 2, 1839. He was the subject of a United States Supreme Court decision, ''United States v. Ripley'' (1832). As a result of this decision, Ripley owed the United States a sum of money that he had expended while serving as a Major General by brevet. The building involved in the lawsuit is the oldest building in Uptown New Orleans.

Legacy

Ripley's efforts during the war were recognized by the renaming of village of Staunton, Ohio, to

Ripley, Ohio Ripley is a village in Union Township, Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,591 at the 2020 census. History Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, a ...

, in his honor. The military facilities Fort Ripley and

Camp Ripley Camp Ripley is a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard near the city of Little Falls, Minnesota, Little Falls in the central part of the state. The location of the camp was selected in 1929 by Ellard ...

What's the story behind Minnesota's military training ground, Camp Ripley?
' were also named in his honor. Other places named after him include

Ripley County, Indiana Ripley County is a county located at the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. According to the 2020 Census, the population was 28,995. The county seat is Versailles. History Ripley County was formed on December 27, 1816, in the sa ...

;

Ripley County, Missouri Ripley County is a county in the Ozarks of Missouri. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,679. The largest city and county seat is Doniphan. The county was officially organized on January 5, 1833, and is named after Brigadier Genera ...

;

Ripley, New York Ripley is a town on Lake Erie in the westernmost part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,310 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was named after Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, a general in the War of 1812. There a ...

;

Ripley, Tennessee Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,445 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County. Geography Ripley is located at (35.743115, −89.533872). According to the United States ...

;

Ripley, Mississippi Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,395 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County, Mississippi, Tippah County. Colonel William Clark Falkner, great-grand ...

and

Fort Ripley, Minnesota Fort Ripley is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Nokasippi Rivers. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ripley, Eleazer Wheelock 1782 births 1839 deaths United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Dartmouth College alumni Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Massachusetts state senators American people of English descent Democratic Party Louisiana state senators United States Army generals Congressional Gold Medal recipients Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature Camp Ripley Training Center

Life

Legacy

See also

References

External links