Jacob Ammen

By James Barnett

Originally published in Cincinnati CWRT Newsletter, January 1968

©Cincinnati CWRT, 2008

Gen. Jacob Ammen was born Jan. 7, 1806 in Botetourt County VA, but early in 1ife was brought to Brown County, Ohio, by his parents. At the age of 21 he entered West Point. He was graduated from there on July 31, 1831, ranking 12th in a class of 33. None of the cadets ahead of him became Civil War generals. However, among those who finished behind him in class standing were five other future Civil War generals: Andrew A. Humphreys, William H. Emory, Thomas J. McKean, Horatio P. Van Cleve, and Samuel R. Curtis.

Lt. Ammen remained at West Point where he served on the faculty as an assistant professor of mathematics and as an instructor in infantry tactics. He had a foretaste of the Civil War soon after when he was stationed with the garrison in Charleston harbor during South Carolina's threatened nullification. After this duty he served at the garrison at Ft. Trumbull, Conn., then returned to West Point, remaining for the next three years as an assistant professor of mathematics and philosophy. He resigned Nov. 30, 1837, after serving in the army for 6 years.

During the next 12 years he served as a professor of mathematics at Bacon College in Georgetown, Ky., Jefferson College in Washington, Miss., Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and Georgetown College, Ky. He then returned to Ripley, Ohio, and worked as a civil engineer from 1855 to 1861.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Jacob Ammen was 55 years old, yet he volunteered as a Private. Within less than a week, he became a captain in the 12th Ohio Volunteers and two weeks later, he was the regiment's lieutenant-colonel. In June 1861, he was appointed colonel of the 24th Ohio and led it in the battle of Cheat Mountain and the action at Green Briar in western Virginia.

On April 6, 1862, while the battle of Shiloh was raging, he was marching toward Pittsburgh Landing as commander of the 10th Brigade of the 4th Division of Buell's Army of the Ohio. He brought his brigade on the field and positioned it in time to repulse the last Confederate attack of the day. He led his brigade with conspicuous skill and gallantry during the second day of the battle. Thus, Jacob Ammen had his moment in history. His work at Shiloh was rewarded with a commission as a brigadier general.

He took part in the occupation of Corinth and Buell's pursuit of Bragg back into Kentucky. Gen. Ammen became ill with typhoid fever but remained in the Army. On his recovery he spent the remainder of the war in commands in the rear, commanding, at various times, the Department of Illinois and departments in Cincinnati, Kentucky and Tennessee. He resigned from the army on Jan. 14, 1865, and returned to Cincinnati where he worked as a civil engineer for the next 4 years. He then served as Hamilton County Surveyor and Engineer from 1869-1872.

He then spent a few years as a farmer in Prince George's County, Md. In 1874 he was sent by the U.S. Navy Department as a member of a commission to make recommendations on an isthmian canal site in Central America. On his return Gen. Ammen wrote a lengthy, but highly competent and technical report. The question was, should the canal be run through Panama or Nicaragua? Here was Gen. Ammen's opinion: "On the Nicaragua route, the great natural reservoir (Lake Nicaragua) receives from an extensive water shed, and discharges through the only outlet, the San Juan River, slowly - the water supply is an important question. Other reasons might be given for the conclusion I have come to with respect to the relative merits of the routes, after an inspection of both. In my opinion the Nicaragua route presents less engineering difficulty, and greater natural advantages for a ship canal. Very respectfully, Your Most Obdt. Svt., Jacob Ammen." As we know, the canal was located at Panama but this is not to say that Gen. Ammen was not correct in his recommendation. A canal may yet be built along the route he proposed.

Gen. Ammen then returned to Hamilton County, Ohio, practicing the civil engineer's profession, "locating at Wyoming." He became a venerated citizen of this community throughout the remainder of his life. It is still part of the folklore of Wyoming, Ohio, that here lived the "real hero of the battle of Shiloh." His fine home in Wyoming is still in use.

Gen. Ammen was twice married. After the death of his first wife, Caroline L. Pierce, he married Martha Beasly. He lived longer than his second wife, also.

On his 88th birthday Gen. Ammen was honored by the G. A. R. post in Lockland, Ohio. At the conclusion of the ceremonies he was presented with a handsome gold badge. But age had taken its toll. Gen. Ammen had been blind for several years and could not see the badge.

A month later, on Feb. 6, l894, Gen. Ammen died and was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati. Had he lived only four days longer, he would have been the last surviving member of West Point's class of 1831. As it turned out, the last surviving member of this class was a Confederate, Col. Lucius B. Northrup. But Col. Northrup was a mere 82, while Gen. Ammen was 88.

Spring Grove Cemetery burial card for Jacob Ammen (http://www.springgrove.org/sg/genealogy/stats/56013.tif.pdf).