Jacob Ammen, USMA 1831

7 January 1807 - 6 February 1894, age 87.

Having been appointed a Second Lieutenant, First Artillery, July 1st, 1831, he continued on duty at the Military Academy as Assistant Professor of Mathematics and [in the following summer] Infantry Tactics. This assignment brought him in close relation with Charles Davies, Professor of Mathematics, who, about this time, was turning his attention to the preparation of text books. "Shades, Shadows and Linear Perspective" was brought out in 1832, and in the preface, acknowledgments by the Professor were made to his assistants for their aid in the preparation of the plates, diagrams, etc., used in illustration." --- Annual Reunion, June 12th 1894.

"I resigned [from the Army] in Nov 1837 to fill a Professorship in Bacon College, at Georgetown Ky. The funds of that institution, not being sufficient to pay the professors, I left that institution March 1839 and accepted a Professorship in this institution [Jefferson College, Washington, Mississippi, from which he is writing] where I remained until April 1840, and not being able to get my salary or t live without it, I was again compelled to resign and accept a situation in the Indiana University, in which institution I remained until June 1843, when I was again induced to return to Miss." --- Letter to Cullum, December 13, 1847 [in Cullum File].

"I resigned my Professorship in Jefferson College Miss. in July 1848 and was appointed Prof. of Math in Georgetown College, Georgetown, Ky - Sept 1848 -resigned Nov 1855 --- since which time I have resided at Ripley O. and followed Civil Engineering when my health will permit." --- Letter to Cullum, April 4, 1860 [in Cullum file].

"permit me to say my "civil career" since 1865 has neither been conspicuous nor important --- perhaps not useful. From 1865 to 1869 I was engaged in Surveying and Civil Engineering . . . A member of the Board of Visitors to U. S. M. A. [sic --- when did this abbreviation come into use? Surely this is an early usage.] West Point N.Y. 1875. . . . Feb 1874 . . . surveyed for Inter-Oceanic Canals." --- Letter to Cullum, January 10, 1879.
 

Two etchings of him in his Cullum File. They are different. Oval shape. About 2 in high.

Genealogy:

His g-g-g-grandson Donald Charles McGraw, Jr., (#36757) is a graduate.

Obituaries:

Folder Contains:

• Cullum listing, third edition (1891).
• Obituary from the Annual Reunion, June 12th, 1894.
• DAB for him and his brother Daniel Ammen.  Note: The web page   http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01430c.htm  indicates that Daniel Ammen studied at USMA for a short time, but I find no note of that in Cullum. 
• One page of notes on his Cullum File:  640. Ammen, Jacob
• One page of notes on USMA manuscript File:  Ammen, Jacob
Notebook with leather cover marked "1874 Nicaragua, Panama . . . " Diary ranging from March 15 to May 16, 1874 when he was investigating the possibility of a canal. I did not read it, but would be an interesting document for someone working on the history of the Panama Canal.
• One page of notes on USMA manuscript File: Ammen, Jacob . . . battle of Shiloh
This is listed in the USMA computer library catalogue: Ammen, Jacob, 1806-1894, USMA 1832
Title: Letter, 1862 March [i.e. April] 6 [to] A. B. Martin.  SPEC Mss. 4 p. ; 23 x 18 cm.
Summary: Letter to A.B. Martin, giving a first hand account of the Battle of Shiloh and the heroic efforts of the 10th Brigade of Ohio Volunteers.
I did not read it.
 

• |ACCESSION: 38905726

|    TITLE: Civil War collection
|     YEAR: 1804 1895
| PUB TYPE: Book
|   FORMAT: 25 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
|    NOTES: Includes correspondence, diaries, reminiscences, and other papers
|           of Ohio soldiers and Confederate prisoners.
|           Microfilm. Columbus, Ohio : Ohio Historical Society, 1952,1966.
|           25 reels of microfilm ; 35 mm.
|    OTHER: Ammen, Jacob 1807-1894.
 OH  OHT   OHIO HIST SOC

• |   ACCESSION: 33597565

|   AUTHOR: Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Ohio Division. Gen.
|           Jacob Ammen Camp, no. 410.
|    TITLE: By-laws of Gen. Jacob Ammen Camp, no. 410, Division of Ohio, Sons
|           of Veterans, U.S.A.
|    PLACE: Ripley, Ohio,
|    PUBLISHER: n.p.,
|     YEAR: 1890
|   PUB TYPE: Book
|   FORMAT: 11 p. 13 cm.
NC    NDD   DUKE UNIV LIBR
 
• |ACCESSION: 22698623

|   AUTHOR: Ammen, Jacob, 1807-1894.
|    TITLE: Papers,
|     YEAR: 1804 1895
| PUB TYPE: Archive/Manuscript Control
|   FORMAT: 0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
|    NOTES: Letters, reports, certificates, notebooks and telegrams, the bulk
|           of which concern Ammen's duties as Commander of the District of
|           Illinois. Diary, 1861-1865, details observations of Battle of
|           Shiloh, Tennessee and Siege of Corinth, Mississippi, April and
|           May 1862. Correspondence with General Alvan Gillem details events
|           surrounding Gillem's defeat at Bull's Gap. Journal of
|           observations made on 1874 trip to Central America investigating
|           canal routes.
|           Mathematics professor, civil engineer and United States Army
|           officer.  Served as Commander of the District of Illinois in 1863
|           and Commander of the Districts of Kentucky and Eastern Tennessee
|           in 1864.  Accompanied United States Interoceanic Canal Commission
|           to Nicaragua and Panama in 1874 to investigate canal routes.
  IL    JFK   ILLINOIS STATE HIST LIBR
 
• |ACCESSION: 16155994

|    TITLE: Campaigns of the Civil War.
|    PLACE: New York,
|PUBLISHER: T. Yoseloff
|     YEAR: 1963
| PUB TYPE: Book
|   FORMAT: 8 v. 22 cm. and atlas 28 cm.
|    NOTES: The two sets, The campaigns of the Civil War, originally
|           published in 13 volumes and The navy in the Civil War, originally
|           published in 3 volumes, have been combined in the present
|           publication.
|           Includes bibliography.
|           v. 1. The outbreak of rebellion, by J.G. Nicolay.--From Fort
|           Henry to Corinth, by M.F. Force.--v. 2. The Peninsula:
|           McClellan's campaign of 1862, by A.S. Webb. The army under Pope,
|           by J.C. Ropes.--v. 3. The Antietam and Fredericksburg, by F.W.
|           Palfrey. Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, by A. Doubleday.--v. 4.
|           The Army of the Cumberland, by H.M. Cist. The Mississippi, by
|           F.V. Greene.--v. 5. Atlanta, by J.D. Cox. The march to the sea:
|           Franklin and Nashville, by J.D. Cox.--v. 6. The Shenandoah Valley
|           in 1864, by G.E. Pond. The Virginia Campaign of '64 and '65: the
|           Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James, by A.A. Humphreys.-
|           -v. 7. The blockade and the cruisers, by J.R. Soley. The Atlantic
|           Coast, by D. Ammen.--v. 8. The Gulf and inland waters, by A.T.
|           Mahan. Statistical record of the Armies of the United States, by
|           F. Phisterer. Atlas to accompany The campaigns of the Civil War.
 
• |ACCESSION: 9403667

|   AUTHOR: Ammen, Jacob, 1806-1894.
|    TITLE: Letter, 1862 March [i.e. April] 6 [to] A. B. Martin.
|     YEAR: 1862
| PUB TYPE: Archive/Manuscript Control
|   FORMAT: 4 p. ; 23 x 18 cm.
|    NOTES: Letter to A.B. Martin, giving a first hand account of the Battle
|           of Shiloh and the heroic efforts of the 10th Brigade of Ohio
|           Volunteers.
NY  YWM   US MIL ACAD

The above five records are from WorldCat. 
 

References:

Arney, Chris, West Point's Scientific 200: Celebration of the Bicentennial. Biographies of 200 of West Point's Most Successful and Influential Mathematicians, Scientists, Engineers, and Technologists, 2002.

DAB

He is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati: http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/5078.html