Eleazer Wheelock Ripley

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eleazer Wheelock Ripley

Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (born April 15, 1782 in Hanover , New Hampshire , † March 2, 1839 in West Feliciana Parish , Louisiana ), also partly written Eleazar , was an American general in the British-American War and member of the House of Representatives for Louisiana of the United States . He is not to be confused with the clergyman Eleazar Wheelock . His brother James (1786-1835) was also a lawyer, congressman and military member.

Life

In 1800 Ripley graduated from Dartmouth College in his hometown with a law degree and was appointed to the bar. He opened a law firm in Waterville , Maine (a district of Massachusetts until 1820 ). In 1812 he moved to Portland and began his military career there.

After serving in the military, Ripley first practiced as a lawyer in New Orleans and then moved to Jackson , Louisiana, where he continued his legal practice and became a prominent attorney and plantation owner. On July 27, 1830, he married the widow Aurelia Davis, b. Smith, and had at least one child with her (Aurelia, 1833–1834).

Ripley was in bad health for several years and died in his service office on March 2, 1839, days before the end of his term in Congress . He was buried in a private cemetery in St. Francisville .

Military activity

Ripley began his military career on March 12, 1812 in the 21st Infantry with his appointment as Lieutenant Colonel by President James Madison . Contrary to the general unpopularity of a war against the English, he was a vocal supporter of a declaration of war. However, his tarnished reputation rose after a successful 400-mile march by his troops to Plattsburgh .

On March 12, 1813, he was promoted to colonel . He was wounded in an explosion in a British attack on Sackets Harbor and was unable to do active military service for the rest of the year. During this convalescence , Ripley focused on army recruiting efforts.

On April 15, 1814, Ripley was promoted to Brigade General. In the following years he served under Jacob Brown in the Niagara region. But from the beginning Ripley was declared against Brown's planned invasion of the Niagara Peninsula, as he assessed his own armed forces for too weak to achieve lasting results on Canadian territory. This created considerable tension between the men, and Brown came to believe that Ripley was unreliable. Ripley proved his reliability again and again, especially when he intervened at Lundy's Lane to rescue the battered troops of Winfield Scott and captured several British artillery pieces.

First Ripley received little recognition for his achievements, however, was on July 25, 1814. Brevet - Major General conveyed.

On February 1, 1820, Ripley resigned from the military.

Political activity

In 1807 and 1811 he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he also served as speaker in the last period . In 1812, after moving to Portland, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate.

In 1828 he supported Andrew Jackson's successful presidential nomination . As a "Jacksonist" Ripley was elected to the 24th Congress of the United States and then twice as a member of the Democratic Party founded by President Jackson in the 25th and 26th Congress .

Honors

Ripley received the Military Gold Medal of Honor on November 3, 1814 by a resolution of the Congress . In addition, several counties and places were named after him during his lifetime:

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ripley, Eleazer Wheelock
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American general in the British-American War and politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1782
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanover , New Hampshire
DATE OF DEATH March 2, 1839
Place of death West Feliciana Parish , Louisiana