Truman B. Ransom
Truman B. Ransom (September 20, 1802—September 13, 1847) was a Vermont educator and military officer who served as President of Norwich University and commander of a regiment in the Mexican–American War. He was killed at the Battle of Chapultepec.
Biography[]
Truman Bishop Ransom was born in Woodstock, Vermont on September 20, 1802. At age 13 he was apprenticed as a chair-maker and painter. At age 16 he began attendance at the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy, now called Norwich University, alternating semesters with work for his employer in Quechee, Vermont to pay his tuition.[1][2]
Ransom graduated in 1825 and began a career as an educator, teaching at several colleges started or overseen by Norwich University founder Alden Partridge, or that operated on his Norwich University model, including Jefferson College in Mississippi. In 1835 Ransom became Vice President of Norwich University and was also appointed Professor of natural philosophy and engineering.[3][4]
Ransom volunteered for the militia in the 1830s, and advanced through the ranks from Captain to Major General, gaining experience as a drill master and commander of units from company to brigade. In 1836 he received his Master of Arts degree from Norwich. From 1837 to 1844 Ransom served as Major General of the Vermont Militia, and he published a manual on tactics for militia that was distributed throughout United States. In 1844 Ransom was appointed Norwich University's President, the first to hold the office after Alden Partridge.[5][6][7]
A Democrat, Ransom ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1840. He ran again in 1843, losing twice to Jacob Collamer. In 1846 he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor.[8][9][10]
Ransom volunteered to serve in the Mexican War and, on February 16, 1847, was appointed as the Major of the newly formed 9th Infantry Regiment under the command of future president Colonel Franklin Pierce. He was quickly promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and second in command, and when Pierce was promoted to Brigadier General and took command of a brigade, Ransom was promoted to Colonel on March 16 and given command of the regiment (which was officially organized on April 9).[11][12][13]
Ransom fell at the head of the regiment on September 13, 1847 while storming the works at Chapultepec on the outskirts of Mexico City.[14] He was remembered by Richard Coulter Drum, a participant in the battle as "by all odds the most brilliant man under fire I have ever seen."[15] Ransom was temporarily buried in Mexico City's Protestant cemetery, and later returned to Vermont and interred at Norwich's Fairview Cemetery.[16][17][18][19] His eulogy was spoken by Frederic Williams Hopkins, who had worked with Ransom to revitalize the militia.[20]
Legacy[]
Norwich University's Ransom Hall is named for Truman Ransom.[21] Battery Ransom, an artillery fortification that stood on Fort Jackson, Louisiana was also named for him.[22]
Family[]
Ransom married Margaretta Morrison Greenfield in 1830. They had seven children: Dunbar Richard (1831-1897); Thomas Edwin Greenfield (1834-1864); Mary Rozella (1837-1843); George Richard (1839-1845); Frederick Eugene (b. 1841); Mary Rozella (named for a sister who predeceased her, born and died in 1843); and Catherine Harriet (b. 1846).[23]
Thomas Edward Greenfield Ransom served as a brevet major general in the Union Army during American Civil War and died in service on October 29, 1864. Dunbar Ransom served as a Civil War officer and later became a railroad executive before dying in Texas. Frederick Ransom served as a lieutenant in the 11th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War.[24]
References[]
- ↑ Henry Swan Dana, History of Woodstock, Vermont, 1889, pages 302 to 305
- ↑ John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, Ralph H. Orth, The Vermont Encyclopedia, 2003, page 244
- ↑ William Arba Ellis, Norwich University, 1819-1911, Volume 2, 1912, pages 25 to 30
- ↑ Lewis Cass Aldrich, Frank R. Holmes, History of Windsor County, Vermont, 1891, page 490
- ↑ Miriam Irene Kimball, Vermont for Young Vermonters, 1908, page 263
- ↑ New Hampshire State Library, Author List of the New Hampshire State library, June 1, 1902, 1904, page 1193
- ↑ David H. Williams, The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge for the Year 1841, 1840, page 181
- ↑ Walter Hill Crockett, Vermont: The Green Mountain State, Volume 3, page 359
- ↑ Vermont Archives and Records Division, General Election Results, U.S. House of Representatives, 1843-1850, 2006, page 1
- ↑ Vermont Archives and Records Division, General Election Results, U.S. House of Representatives, 1833-1840, 2006, page 8
- ↑ James T. White & Company, The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 18, 1922, pages 323 to 324
- ↑ John S. D. Eisenhower, So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico, 1846-1848, 2000, page 323
- ↑ United States War Department, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, Volume 1, 1903, page 99
- ↑ William K. Ackerman, Chicago Historical Society, Early Illinois Railroads: A Paper Read Before the Chicago Historical Society, 1884, page 27
- ↑ Joseph L. Gavett, North Dakota: Counties, Towns & People, Part 1, 2008, page 207
- ↑ Rossiter Johnson, John Howard Brown, The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Volume 9, 1904, Ransom-Rantoul
- ↑ Henry Villiers Partridge, A History of Norwich, Vermont, 1905, pages 239 to 242
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, Acts and Laws Passed by the Legislature of the State of Vermont, 1847, page 38
- ↑ John S. D. Eisenhower, Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott, 1999, page 295
- ↑ Prescott and Wilson (Troy), Eulogy, at Norwich, Vermont February 22, 1848 During the Obsequies of Truman B. Ransom, 1849, title page
- ↑ Norwich University, Campus Housing page, accessed August 31, 2012
- ↑ United States War Department, General Orders and Circulars, 1903, page 30
- ↑ Norwich University, About Truman Bishop Ransom, President of Norwich University, 1845-1847, and Family, accessed August 31, 2012
- ↑ Wyllys Cadwell Ransom, Historical Outline of the Ransom Family of America, Volume 2, 1903, page 29
External resources[]
- Truman Bishop Ransom at Find A Grave
- Collection on the Truman Bishop Ransom Family, 1847-2001 at Norwich University Archives and Special Collections
The original article can be found at Truman B. Ransom and the edit history here.