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Samuel Zenas Ammen (1843-1929) was an American Confederate veteran and journalist. He was the founder of the Kappa Alpha Order. He was the literary editor of The Baltimore Sun and author of three books.

Biography

Early life

Samuel Zenas Ammen was born on October 23, 1843 in Fincastle, Virginia. His father was Benjamin Ammen and his mother, Naomi (Cross) Ammen.

During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he served in the Confederate States Army. He enlisted in Company D ("Finchester Rifles") of the 11th Virginia Infantry 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 in Botetourt County.

Following the war, he attended Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee was President. While there, he founded the Kappa Alpha Order. 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

He became the literary editor of The Baltimore Sun. He was also the author of three books.

Death

He died on January 5, 1929 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was buried at the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.

Bibliography

• Latin Grammar for Beginners.
• A Scientific Description of the Luray Cave.
• History of Maryland Commands in the Confederate Service.

Further reading

• William Kavanaugh Doty, Samuel Zenas Ammen and the Kappa Alpha Order (Charlottesville, Virginia: Surber-Arundale, 1922).

References

1. ^ J. William Austin, II and Rebecca R. H. Austin, Related Families of Botetourt County, Virginia,Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009, p. 4
2. ^ Kappa Alpha Order: Samuel Zenas Ammen
3. documents report both dates, see: Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Virginia units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier. (NARA M324) Roll: 0498. Military Unit: Tenth Battalion, Reserves (Fourth Battalion, Valley Reserves); Eleventh Infantry
4. NARA M324. Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Virginia units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier. Roll: 1062. Military Unit: Averett's Battalion, Reserves; Burks' Regiment, Local Defense; Carroll County Militia
5. ^ 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, 2011
6. HathiTrust

Template:Persondata

• 1843 births
• 1929 deaths
• Editors of Maryland newspapers
• People from Botetourt County, 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