Background
James Wolfe Ripley was born on December 10, 1794 in Windham County, Connecticut. He was a descendant of William Ripley who came to Hingham, Massachussets, from England in 1638.
James Wolfe Ripley was born on December 10, 1794 in Windham County, Connecticut. He was a descendant of William Ripley who came to Hingham, Massachussets, from England in 1638.
He received his elementary education in the county schools and in 1813 was appointed a cadet to the United States Military Academy.
Under the pressure of wartime demands he was graduated on June 1, 1814, commissioned second lieutenant of artillery, and ordered to duty at Sacketts Harbor, New York.
After the war he served in garrisons until 1817 when he joined General Jackson on the Escambia River in Florida and served for two years under that intrepid fighter in the Seminole Indian war and the subsequent invasion of Florida. During this time he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. Following several years of garrison and recruiting duty, he was detailed in 1823 as assistant commissioner under James Gadsden to run the boundaries of the Indian reservations of Florida.
He was commended by his chief and William Pope Duval, governor of the territory, for his excellent work on this detail. After eight more years of garrison and recruiting duty, he was ordered to Charleston Harbor in 1832 when South Carolina threatened nullification of the federal tariff act.
His work there was highly praised by General Winfield Scott in command at Charleston, who wrote to the Secretary of War, "Captain Ripley has no superior in the middle ranks of the Army, in general intelligence, zeal, or good conduct". Having transferred to the ordnance corps, Ripley was assigned to command the arsenal at Kennebec, Maine, in 1833, where he remained for eight years and received his promotion to major.
From 1841 to 1854 he commanded the armory at Springfield, Massachussets Through his efforts this institution was rebuilt and transformed into a more modern arms production plant. For meritorious services here during the Mexican War he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel. In 1854 he was transferred to command the arsenal at Watertown, Massachussets, and in the same year was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The next year he went to California as chief-of-ordnance of the Pacific department and in 1857 was made inspector of arsenals. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was on a special mission in the Orient.
He hurried home and on April 23, 1861, was appointed chief-of-ordnance of the army with the rank of colonel and the following August was promoted to brigadier-general. He devoted himself with energy if not always with the best judgment to the task of supplying the army with arms and ammunition. In the large disbursements which this involved he continually fought favoritism, fraud and political influence, maintaining throughout unquestioned personal integrity.
He was retired on September 15, 1863, but continued to serve as inspector of armaments until 1869. He was brevetted major-general in 1865 for long and faithful service. This venerable officer had the distinction of having served his country continuously for over fifty-five years and in four wars.
He died at Hartford, Connecticut, and was buried in Springfield Cemetery.
On August 11, 1824, he married Sarah Denny who, with three of their nine children, survived him.
