Riley Looper

Riley Looper (1816 – May 6, 1864) was a Confederate soldier from Scott County who was killed during the Civil War.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born in 1816, Riley Looper was the son of William Looper and Eleanor “Nellie” Long. His siblings included John Looper, Thomas Looper, Granville Cecil Looper and Emerson Looper.

According to Paul Roy’s Scott County in the Civil War, John, Thomas, Granville and Emerson all served in the Union army during the Civil War. John and Emerson were captured at the Battle of Rogersville in East Tennessee on Nov. 6, 1863. Emerson Looper was one of the many Scott Countians who died at a Confederate prison camp in Andersonville, Ga. Granville Looper was discharged after being wounded in battle on March 10, 1863. Thomas Looper was also wounded in battle.

The Looper family was originally from Fentress County. However, Roy wrote in his book that Granville Looper was involved in building roads in Scott County in the 1850s.

Riley Looper is not mentioned in Roy’s book. However, he was another of the Looper brothers, and married Kissiah Smith, the daughter of Drewry and Mary “Polly” Smith of Smith Creek. His mother’s first cousin was Ewell Smith, one of the leading Confederates from Scott County.

It is not clear how many children Riley and Kissiah had together. She had several children before their marriage, including William Smith, who was killed while fighting for the Union in Atlanta in 1864.

When the 1850 census was taken, Riley and Kissiah lived in Scott County, along with a one-year-old son, George Looper. Kissiah’s older children lived with her parents. Riley later appeared on a land deeds list in Fentress County in 1857.

Riley and Kissiah divorced at some point prior to 1860. When the 1860 census was taken, Kissiah lived with her mother, Polly, and had taken her maiden name. George also lived with her and had taken the name Smith. There was a two-year-old daughter, Mary Smith, who also lived in the home.

Meanwhile, Riley moved to Arkansas, where he married Mary Catherine Treece in 1860. They had two children, Artemissa Looper Horton and Martha Looper Goodman.

Civil War

While the rest of his family sided with the Union, Riley Looper sided with the Confederacy. He enlisted on July 17, 1861 and was a lieutenant in Co. D, 14th Arkansas Infantry. He was killed on May 6, 1864 and buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.