William Young Warren Ripley | |
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| Born | (1832-12-31)December 31, 1832 Middlebury, Vermont, US |
| Died | December 16, 1905(1905-12-16) (aged 72) Rutland, Vermont, US |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | .svg) United States of America.svg) Vermont |
| Service | Union ArmyVermont Militia |
| Years of service | 1858 – 1861 (Militia) 1861 – 1862 (Army) 1864 – 1866 (Militia) |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel (Army) Major General (Militia) |
| Unit | 1st Vermont Infantry1st United States Sharpshooters |
| Commands |
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| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Other work | Businessperson Banker |
| Signature |  |
William Young Warren Ripley (December 31, 1832 – December 16, 1905) was aUnion Army officer fromVermont in theAmerican Civil War. He received theMedal of Honor for heroism at theBattle of Malvern Hill.
William Y. W. Ripley was born inMiddlebury, Vermont, on December 31, 1832.[1] He was educated at the Troy Conference Academy inPoultney (nowGreen Mountain College) and the Lima Institute, inLima, New York.[2] He then began a career inRutland at the Ripley family's marble business and the Ripley family-owned Rutland County National Bank.[3]
Beginning in 1858, Ripley was a lieutenant in the Rutland Light Guards, a volunteer militia unit commanded byHorace Henry Baxter.[4]
Baxter subsequently becameadjutant general of the Vermont Militia. In May 1861 Ripley entered the Union Army for the Civil War ascaptain and commander of the Rutland Light Guards, which was mustered in asCompany K,1st Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He served with the regiment in Washington, D.C. andVirginia during the entire three months of its service, including taking part in theBattle of Big Bethel.[5][6]
In the Fall of 1861 Ripley joined the1st United States Sharpshooters aslieutenant colonel and second in command.[7] He took part in several battles, including theBattle of Malvern Hill in July 1862, at which he was seriously wounded. Ripley's wounds proved serious enough to prevent him from returning to the field.[8]
In August 1862 he was appointed commander of the10th Vermont Infantry with the rank ofcolonel, but declined because of the physical disability caused by his wounds.[9]
In 1864 he was appointed to command the 1st Division of the Vermont Militia with the rank ofmajor general. The militia had an active role providing patrols and security within the state and along the border with Canada, particularly following the October 1864St. Albans Raid. He served until a post-Civil War reorganization of the militia eliminated the division headquarters.[10]
At theBattle of Malvern Hill Ripley was commended for returning to the rear at a critical juncture in the fight to bring up two regiments that had been in reserve, which he then led into battle himself. He continued to fight until a bullet struck his leg and he had to be carried from the field.[11]
In 1893 Ripley was awarded theMedal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Malvern Hill. The citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Colonel William Young Warren Ripley, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 1 July 1862, while serving with 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, in action at Malvern Hill, Virginia. At a critical moment Lieutenant Colonel Ripley brought up two regiments, which he led against the enemy himself, being severely wounded.
General Orders:
Date of Issue: March 11, 1893 Action Date: July 1, 1862
Service: Army Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Division: 1st U.S. Sharpshooters[12]
After the Civil War Ripley returned to his family's business interests, operating the marble company with his brother Edward as Ripley Sons, and serving on the board of directors and as president of the Rutland County National Bank.[13][14]
In 1867 Ripley was elected president of theReunion Society of Vermont Officers, succeedingGeorge J. Stannard, who had been the organization's first president.[15] He was also active in theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States,[16] theGrand Army of the Republic,[17] and theMedal of Honor Legion.[18]
In 1889 the Ripleys sold the marble business to theVermont Marble Company, headed by fellow Civil War veteranRedfield Proctor.[19]
ARepublican, Ripley was a delegate to the1868 Republican National Convention.[20] In1880 he was a presidential elector, and cast his ballot for theGarfield andArthur ticket.[21]
The city ofRutland was organized separately from the town in the late 1800s, and Ripley served as the city's mayor from 1899 to 1900, succeedingPercival W. Clement.[22]
Ripley authored a history of his Civil War experiences, 1883'sVermont Riflemen in the War for the Union.[23]
Ripley died in Rutland on December 16, 1905.[24] He was buried in Rutland'sEvergreen Cemetery.
William Y. W. Ripley was the brother ofEdward H. Ripley. E. H. Ripley served in the Civil War as commander of the9th Vermont Infantry Regiment. As a brevetbrigadier general, he commanded brigades in theXVIII andXXIV Corps. He led some of the first troops to enterRichmond following theLee's retreat, and warnedLincoln of a plot to assassinate him when he visitedVirginia during the waning days of the war.[25][26]
Julia Caroline Dorr, the wife ofSeneca M. Dorr, was the half-sister of William and Edward Ripley.[27]
William Y. W. Ripley was married to Cornelia Ann Thomas Ripley. Their children included: Hastings Warren Ripley (January 30, 1871 – April 24, 1871); Mary Elizabeth Ripley Pease (1857–1936); William Thomas Ripley (1860–1893); Janet Warren Ripley Dorr (1863–1954); Thomas Emerson Ripley (1865–1956); and Charles Edward Ripley (1867–1893).[28]
Thomas E. Ripley was the father of author and screenwriterClements Ripley.[29]
William Y. W. Ripley's sister Helen was the mother ofJohn Ripley Myers.[30][31]
The son of Clements Ripley, William Y. W. Ripley (1921–2013), called Warren, was a notableSouth Carolina newspaper editor and historian.[32]
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