Brigadier General Roswell S. Ripley Monument

The Brigadier General Roswell S. Ripley Monument was dedicated in 1894 to honor Worthington native, Roswell Sabine Ripley. It resides at the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina, where his burial site is located. Ripley was born in Worthington, Ohio March 14, 1823. His family relocated to the state of New York, were he joined the U.S. Military Academy in 1839. He attended West Point, graduating in 1843. Ripley went on to serve in the Army, advancing to Lieutenant during the Mexican War. He authored a history of the war, entitled The War With Mexico (1849). Following the Mexican War, he was involved with military action against the Seminoles in Florida, and various garrison duties throughout the south. He married in 1852 and resigned his commission in 1853 to settle in Charleston, South Carolina. He remained active with the rank of Major in the local Militia. Following South Carolina's secession in 1860, Ripley became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of South Carolina. He played a major role in the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 and was appointed Brigadier General on August 15, 1861.

* "Roswell Sabine Ripley", "The Confederate General", Vol. 6, William C. Davis, Editor, The National Historical Society, (1991)

According to Ripley biographer, Dr. Chet Bennett, M.D., Ripley has been "unfairly disparaged" in various works by modern historians. A biographical account of Brig. Gen. Roswell S. Ripley written by Bennett is available online. Additional works include: "Roswell Sabin Ripley: 'Charleston's Gallant Defender'", by C. A. Bennett, M.D., "South Carolina Historical Magazine", Vol. 95, No. 3 (July 1994).

Web site cited: http://www.scvohio.org/RipleyTalk.htm