Samuel Zenas Ammen (1843–1929) was an American Confederate 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 T ...

'' 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 Finc ...

.Kappa Alpha Order: Samuel Zenas Ammen
/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 Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

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. ...

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 Mount ...

. 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 ...

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 Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

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

. 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 ''

'' 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-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

. He was buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.

Bibliography

* * *''History of Maryland Commands in the Confederate Service''.

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

Early life

Career

Death

Bibliography

Further reading

References