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Eleazer Wheelock Ripley
Major General
War of 1812

U. S. House of Representatives
Louisiana 2nd District
Served 1835 - 1839
Political Party Jacksonian, Democratic
Preceded by Philemon Thomas
Succeeded by Thomas Withers Chinn
 
Born
Location		 April 15, 1782
Hanover, New Hampshire
Died
Location		 March 29, 1839
West Feliciana Parish
Cause  
Age 58
 
Education Dartmouth College - 1800
Law
Profession Soldier and Attorney
 
Spouse 1 Love Allen
Massachusetts
Children 1 son, 1 daughter
Spouse 2 Aurella Smith Davis
Children 1 daughter
 
Religion  
Burial Locust Grove Cemetery

General Eleazer Wheelock Ripley is buried in Locust Grove Cemetery near Elm Park in West Feliciana Parish. He was a Louisiana Representative to Congress from 1835 - 1839.

This is the same tiny cemetery in which Sarah Davis, the first wife of Jefferson Davis, is buried.

A verbatim copy of the blurb of Eleazer Wheelock Ripley from the information board at Locus Grove Cemetery follows:

" Eleazer Wheelock Ripley was born in New Hampshire in 1782.  He was the son of a professor of divinity at Dartmouth.  He moved to Massachusetts to pursue a career in law and ended up serving as a state senator.  Despite the general unpopularity in his state regarding a war with Britain, Ripley was a vocal supporter of a declaration of hostilities.  President Madison then appointed him as a lieutenant colonel.

Ripley's reputation increased after successfully marching his troops four hundred miles to Plantenburg.  In spring of 1813, he was promoted to colonel and was injured in an explosion at Sacket's Harbor.  Ripley spent the rest of 1813 in convalescence, but remained active in recruiting for the army.

By the summer of 1814, Ripley was a General serving in the Niagara region, under Jacob Brown. 

By the summer of 1814, Ripley was a General serving in the Niagara region, under Jacob Brown

From the start, Ripley was against Brown's planned invasion of the Niagara peninsular, he thought the force was too small to make any lasting impact on Canadian soil. This conflict of interest caused considerable strain between the two men and led Brown to become convinced that Ripley was unreliable.

In actuality, that was not the case and during the campaign, Ripley performed valiantly at Lundy's Lane, where his men came to the rescue of Winfield Scott's battered troops. At this time, his troops also captured several pieces of British artillery from a hill near the battlefield.

While Ripley received little recognition for his efforts, during a resolution of Congress dated November 1, 1814, he was presented with a gold medal in honor for his military service."

Locus Grove Cemetery



The grave of General Eleazer W. Ripley

Gen. Eleazer W. Ripley
Died March 29, 1839
aged 54 years.

 

Aurelia Wheelock Ripley Gravesite

 

Aurelia Wheelock Ripley
Daughter of
E. W. & Aurelia Ripley
Born July 28, 1833
Died July 28, 1834
Aged 1 year

Stranger, If ever these Lines are Read
Mourn for the living not the dead.

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