Edward H. Ripley

Edward Hastings Ripley
Born	Template:Birth date Rutland, Vermont, U.S.
Died	September 14, 1915(1915-09-14) (aged 75) Rutland, Vermont, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, Union Army officer, politician
Years active	1862–1915
Known for	Union Army brevet brigadier general; leading initial Union forces into Richmond; Vermont entrepreneur

Edward Hastings Ripley (November 11, 1839 – September 14, 1915) was a Vermont entrepreneur and officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He attained the brevet rank of brigadier general while commanding brigades within the XVIII and XXIV Corps, notably leading the initial Union forces to enter Richmond following its capitulation.

Early life

Born in Rutland, Vermont, on November 11, 1839, Edward H. Ripley received his education locally and at Troy Conference Academy in Poultney, which later became Green Mountain College. He pursued higher education at Union College from 1858 until 1862 and was affiliated with the Psi Upsilon fraternity.

Civil War

In May 1862, Ripley left college shortly before graduation to enlist as a private in the 9th Vermont Infantry. Despite his departure, Union College retained him on their records and conferred upon him a Bachelor of Arts degree with the class of 1862.

Starting as a sergeant, he quickly advanced to captain, leading Company B during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, including involvement in the Siege of Suffolk, Virginia. That summer, he earned promotion to major.

After being captured at the Battle of Harpers Ferry in September 1862, Ripley was exchanged in January 1863 and resumed military duties in Virginia and North Carolina. By May 1863, he had risen to lieutenant colonel and soon after to colonel, taking command of his regiment.

Subsequently, Ripley administered military districts around Beaufort and New Bern. Elevated to brevet brigadier general in August 1864, he led brigades within both the XVIII Corps and later the XXIV Corps, engaging in significant battles such as Chaffin's Farm and the Second Battle of Fair Oaks. Despite sustaining two wounds, he eventually commanded the troops that entered Richmond after Confederate forces surrendered, charged with maintaining order and preventing looting.

Ripley managed Richmond's military district until civilian authorities were reinstated. During President Abraham Lincoln’s visit in April 1865, Ripley warned him about an assassination threat; Lincoln declined extra protection to preserve his public accessibility.

He was mustered out of military service in June 1865.

Post-Civil War

Following the war, Ripley returned to Vermont while also keeping a residence in New York City. Together with his brother William, he ran the Ripley Sons marble enterprise until its sale to the Vermont Marble Company, which was headed by fellow Civil War veteran Redfield Proctor.

He contributed to developing New York City’s Holland House Hotel, owned by relatives from his wife’s Van Doren family. Additionally, he supervised construction and management of New Jersey’s Raritan River Railroad. As a founding member and director of the United States and Brazil Steamship Line, Ripley extended his commercial ventures internationally. He also held leadership roles as President of Rutland Marble Savings Bank and Vice President of Rutland County National Bank.

Ripley operated a prosperous horse breeding farm that supplied many animals for South American markets. The farm's site is now occupied by Sugar & Spice, a company specializing in maple products. The burial place of Ripley’s Civil War horse "Old John" remains preserved there.

A committed Republican, Ripley served in various local offices in Rutland and represented Mendon in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1886 to 1887. He was active in veterans’ groups, holding the presidency of the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers twice—in 1887 and again in 1904—and was affiliated with both the Grand Army of the Republic and Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Ripley was honored with honorary master’s degrees from Norwich University in 1910 and Union College in 1915. He chronicled his wartime experiences through speeches and publications including The Capture and Occupation of Richmond, April 3, 1865 (1907). His personal diary was published posthumously as Vermont General: The Unusual War Experiences of Edward Hastings Ripley (1960), edited by Otto Eisenschiml.

Death and burial

Edward H. Ripley passed away in Rutland on September 14, 1915. His final resting place is Evergreen Cemetery located in Rutland.

Family

In 1878, Edward H. Ripley united in marriage with Amelia Dyckman Van Doren (1845–1931). The couple had two daughters: Alice Van Doren Ripley (1881–1948), who married Alexander deTrofimoff Ogden Jones, and Amelia Sybil Huntington (1882–1963), who wed Raphael Welles Pumpelly. Both daughters were married during a joint ceremony held in 1909.

Edward was the son of William Young Ripley, a distinguished Vermont entrepreneur and banker, and Jane Warren Ripley. His family included notable siblings such as William Y. W. Ripley, a Civil War officer honored with the Medal of Honor, and his half-sister Julia Caroline Dorr, a well-known poet who married Seneca M. Dorr. Additionally, his sister Helen was the mother of John Ripley Myers.

The writer Clements Ripley was descended from William Y. W. Ripley as his grandson and was also the grand-nephew of Edward H. Ripley.

External links

• New York Commandery, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, In Memory of Edward Hastings Ripley, November 11, 1839 – September 14, 1915, 1915