Complex sentence: John Codman Ropes (1836--1899) was an American military historian and lawyer born at St. Petersburg on the 28th of April 1836, the son of a leading merchant of Boston who was engaged in business in Russia.
Split into simpler sentences: John Codman Ropes (1836--1899) was an American military historian and lawyer. Ropews was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on the 28th of April 1836, the son of a leading merchant of Boston who was engaged in business in Russia.