Thomas J. Cram

Thomas Jefferson Cram (March 1, 1804 – December 20, 1883) was an engineer in the service of the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers during the American Civil War.

Cram was born in New Hampshire. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1826 and served on its faculty from 1826 to 1836. After working for the railroad industry for two years, he returned to Army service as a captain in 1838. Assigned as a topographical engineer, he worked on numerous surveys in Texas and other western states, and from 1855-1858 he was the chief topographical engineer for the Department of the Pacific.

In the early months of the Civil War (1861), Cram was promoted to major and then lieutenant colonel. He served as aide to General Wool from 1861–63 and was engaged in the campaign to capture Norfolk, Virginia, in May 1862. Lt. Col. Cram was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers when the Topographical Engineers were disbanded in 1863, and was promoted to full colonel at the end of the war in 1865. He was later brevetted to Major General to recognize his war service, and served until his retirement in 1869.

Cram died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he is buried.

References

* Beers, Henry P., "A History of the U.S. Topographical Engineers, 1813-1863." 2 parts, "The Military Engineer" 34 (Jun 1942): pp. 287-91 & (Jul 1942): pp. 348-52. Available as of April 16, 2006 from http://www.topogs.org/History.htm and http://www.topogs.org/History2.htm .

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6147 Thomas Jefferson Cram at Find-A-Grave.com]