Samuel Zenas Ammen (1843–1929) was an American
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
veteran and journalist. He is known as the 'Practical Founder' of the
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...
.
He was the literary editor of ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' and author of three books.
Early life
Samuel Zenas Ammen was born on October 23, 1843, 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.
Fincastle is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The town of Fincas ...
.
[Kappa Alpha Order: Samuel Zenas Ammen](_blank)
/ref>[J. William Austin, II and Rebecca R. H. Austin, ''Related Families of Botetourt County, Virginia'',Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009, p. 4]
/ref> Benjamin Ammen was his father and Naomi (Cross) Ammen was his mother.
During the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
of 1861–1865, Ammen served in the Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
. He enlisted in Company D ("Finchester Rifles") of the 11th Virginia Infantry
The 11th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.
The 11th Virginia was organized at ...
on August 31, 1861, for 1 year of service and was discharged May 15, 1863, or May 18, 1862. He then served with Captain William Andrew McCue's Fincastle Cavalry Company, Burks' Regiment Virginia Local Defense to do cavalry service with the Confederate Home Guard
The Home Guard of the several states of the Confederacy during the American Civil War included all able-bodied white males between the ages of 18 and 50 who were exempt from Confederate service, excepting only the governor and other officials. ...
in Botetourt County
Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mou ...
.
Following the war, Ammen attended Washington College
Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...
in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee was President.[Clarence L. Mohr, Charles Reagan Wilson, ''The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture'', Volume 17: Education, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press Books, 201]
/ref> While there, he founded the Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order (), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington and Lee University, Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) i ...
. He designed its ritual, accolade and prayer. He served as its second Knight Commander after John Francis Rogers for six terms. During his tenure, he helped establish twenty-two active chapters and four alumni chapters.
Career
Ammen became the literary editor of ''The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' from 1881 to 1911. He was also the author of three books.
Death
Ammen died on January 5, 1929, in Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...
. He was buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.
Bibliography
*
*
*''History of Maryland Commands in the Confederate Service''.
Further reading
*HathiTrust
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammen, Samuel Zenas
1843 births
1929 deaths
Editors of Maryland newspapers
People from Fincastle, Virginia
People from Daytona Beach, Florida
Washington and Lee University alumni
Confederate States Army soldiers
American male journalists
People of Virginia in the American Civil War
The Baltimore Sun people
Kappa Alpha Order
College fraternity founders
Journalists from Virginia