Jacob Ammen (January 7, 1806 – February 6, 1894) was a college professor,

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

, and a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. His younger brother,

Daniel Ammen Daniel Ammen (May 15, 1820 – July 11, 1898) was a United States Navy, U.S. naval officer during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era, as well as a prolific author. His last assignment in the Navy was Chief of the Bureau of Navig ...

, was an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Early life and career

Ammen was born in

Fincastle, Virginia Fincastle is a town in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 755 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Botetourt County. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area. History The town of Fincastle was originally ...

,Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 10 but at a young age, his parents moved to

Georgetown, Ohio Georgetown is a village in and the county seat of Brown County, Ohio, United States, located about southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 4,453 at the 2020 census. Georgetown was the childhood home of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. Hi ...

, where Ammen attended school. He was an 1831 honors graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, where he was an assistant professor for two terms, in addition to his duties as a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. He also served as a drill instructor and captain in the Georgetown

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

. He was stationed in

Charleston Harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km2) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley River (South Carolina), Ashley and Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper rivers at . Morr ...

during the Nullification Crisis. Resigning from the Army in 1837, Ammen taught mathematics at Bacon College (now called Transylvania University), afterwards teaching in Jefferson College. From 1840 through 1843, he served as Chair of the Mathematics Department at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

. He later taught again in Kentucky and Missouri, before moving in November 1855 to

Ripley, Ohio Ripley is a village in Union Township, Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,591 at the 2020 census. History Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, a ...

, to work as a civil engineer.

Civil War

Within a week after the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

bombardment of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...

in April 1861, Ammen rejoined the Federal army, serving as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the newly raised

12th Ohio Infantry 12th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. History The 12th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Dennison, Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 3, 1861, for three-months service, and reorga ...

. He was soon commissioned as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 24th Ohio Infantry. After training at

Camp Chase Camp Chase was a military staging and training camp established in Columbus, Ohio, in May 1861 after the start of the American Civil War. It also included a large Union-operated prison camp for Confederate prisoners during the American Civil Wa ...

, Ammen's regiment was sent in late July to serve in

western Virginia Western Virginia is a geographic region in Virginia comprising the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. Generally, areas in Virginia located west of, or (in many cases) within, the piedmont region are considered part of western Virginia. T ...

, seeing their first combat at the

Battle of Cheat Mountain The Battle of Cheat Mountain, also known as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, took place from September 12 to 15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign during the ...

. Shipped to the Western Theater, Ammen led a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

in the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union Army, Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed ...

at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

and the

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

. Ammen was promoted to brigadier general on July 16, 1862. In August, Ammen assumed the division command vacated by

William "Bull" Nelson William "Bull" Nelson (September 27, 1824 – September 29, 1862) was a United States naval officer who became a Union general during the American Civil War. As a Kentuckian, Nelson could have sympathized with the Confederates but, like his st ...

, who had been given a new command and sent to defend

Richmond, Kentucky Richmond is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 34,585 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's seventh-largest city. It is the principal city of the Richmond–Berea micropolitan area, wh ...

. When his health deteriorated, Ammen then performed administrative duty for nearly a year, commanding Camp Douglas in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in early 1863, as well as other Federal garrisons. In late 1863, he returned to the field and commanded the Fourth Division of the XXIII Corps. In September 1864, his 800-man force blocked the vital

Virginia and Tennessee Railroad The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was an historic gauge railroad in the Southern United States, much of which is incorporated into the modern Norfolk Southern Railway. It played a strategic role in supplying the Confederacy during the American ...

at Bull's Gap, Tennessee, during Stephen G. Burbridge's Saltville raid. Shortly before the end of the war, he resigned in January 1865 and returned home.

Postbellum career

Ammen was a surveyor and civil engineer in

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the List of counties in Ohio, third-most populous county in Ohio. The coun ...

, then he purchased a farm near

Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporate ...

, in 1872. Two years later, he was involved in determining possible routes for the proposed

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. He served on the board of visitors at West Point in 1875. He retired to

Wyoming, Ohio Wyoming is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio. It is a suburb of the neighboring city of Cincinnati. The population was 8,756 at the 2020 census. History Among the earliest European-American settlers in what is now Wyoming was the Pendery family, ...

, near Cincinnati. Becoming blind in his elderly years, he moved in with his son in

Lockland, Ohio Lockland is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,514 at the 2020 United States census. Lockland is located in southwest Ohio, north of Cincinnati. History The birth of the town, and its name, are related to th ...

, in 1891, where he died on February 6, 1894. He was buried in the

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. At a size of 733 acres (2.97 km2), it is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverto ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

References

*''Who Was Who: Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1967. *Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .
USMA biography of Ammen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammen, Jacob 1807 births 1894 deaths People from Fincastle, Virginia 19th-century American Episcopalians United States Military Academy alumni Union army generals People from Georgetown, Ohio People of Ohio in the American Civil War Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery People from Wyoming, Ohio Indiana University faculty People from Beltsville, Maryland American blind people People from Ripley, Ohio People from Lockland, Ohio Blind scholars and academics Phi Delta Theta members

Early life and career

Civil War

Postbellum career

See also

References