Capt. Thomas Davis Ranson (May 19, 1843 – July 21, 1918), was an American lawyer, businessperson, and military officer, from

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

. He was a member of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

, and served in the

Stonewall Brigade The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Ins ...

under General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early life and education

Thomas Davis Ranson was born on May 19, 1843 in Homestead House near Charles Town in Virginia (now West Virginia). He was related the prominent Baldwin family of

on his maternal side; his maternal descendants immigrated in the 17th century from England. Ranson attended Jacob Fuller’s classical school in Lexington, and Washington College (now

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

) in Lexington.

Military service and career

Ranson joined the Confederate States Army in 1861 during the start of the

, where he initially served as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

during the

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

fighting in April of the same year. Ranson had fast promotion in the military ranks. After serving in the battle of First Manassas, he was promoted to

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

to the 52nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. He was the aide-de-camp to Gen. Edward Johnson at the

Battle of Camp Allegheny The Battle of Camp Allegheny, also known as the Battle of Allegheny Mountain, took place on December 13, 1861, in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia), about 3 miles from the mountainous border of Highland County, Virginia, as ...

. On May 1, 1862, he attained the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

right before the Shenandoah Valley Campaign led by Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. He was wounded at the

Battle of McDowell The Battle of McDowell, also known as the Battle of Sitlington's Hill, was fought on May 8, 1862, near McDowell, Virginia, as part of Confederate States Army, Confederate Major General (CSA), Major General Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Jackson's Val ...

on May 8, 1862, and again wounded at the

Battle of Cross Keys The Battle of Cross Keys was fought on June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Together, the batt ...

on June 8, 1862. By the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

on September 17, 1862, Ranson was in better health and had joined the Confederacy States Army's "secret service department as a captain of scouts". In 1863 and 1864, Ranson reported to Gen.

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

and Gen.

J. E. B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known f ...

directly. He joined Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry at the

Battle of Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil. It was fought on June 9, 1863, around ...

on June 9, 1863. He also fought in a battle in Upperville and at the

Battle of Jack's Shop A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. Ranson continued fighting battles until his capture by the Union Army and imprisoned at

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American Coastal defense and fortification, coastal bastion fort, pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, Baltimore, Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War ...

. He was released from the military in July 1865, and tried to return to farming in Charles Town. He left farming to attend law school, Ranson graduated in 1868 from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. After graduation he moved to Staunton, Virginia and practiced law; as well as serving as the director of the

Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in Staunton, Virginia, United States, is an institution for educating deaf and blind children, first established in 1839 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The school accepts chil ...

. He also served as a trustee of Washington and Lee University, and of

Stuart Hall School Stuart Hall School is a Staunton, Virginia, co-educational school for students from Grade 6 to Grade 12, and it offers a boarding program from Grades 8 to 12. Stuart Hall School was established in 1827. The head of the school is Jason Coady. In ...

. In 1906, he was the vice president of the Tidewater Railway Company. Ranson was the commander of the Stonewall Jackson Camp of Confederate Veterans, and lieutenant commander of the Grand Camp of Virginia. He died on July 21, 1918 after experiencing a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

five days earlier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranson, Thomas R. 1843 births 1918 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Businesspeople from Charles Town, West Virginia Confederate States Army officers Lawyers from Charles Town, West Virginia Military personnel from Charles Town, West Virginia People from Staunton, Virginia Stonewall Brigade University of Virginia School of Law alumni Washington and Lee University alumni