Thomas J. Cram
Thomas Jefferson Cram | |
---|---|
Born | Acworth, New Hampshire, US | March 1, 1804
Died | December 20, 1883 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US | (aged 79)
Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery |
Occupation | Topographical Engineer |
Known for |
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Thomas Jefferson Cram (March 1, 1804 – December 20, 1883) was an American topographical engineer from New Hampshire who served in the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers from 1839 to 1863 and the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1863 to 1869.
Cram served as general superintendent for harbor works on
Cram participated in the
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Cram was promoted to lieutenant colonel and colonel and served as aide-de-camp to Major General John E. Wool.
Biography
Cram was born in
Cram worked as an assistant engineer for the
As part of the settlement of the
In 1841, Cram began work with the United States Lake Survey. His portion of its survey began at Green Bay, Wisconsin, and moved south toward Chicago while William G. Williams began his portion at Green Bay and moved north toward Mackinac Island.[11]
In 1843, Cram conducted work in
In 1844, Cram was assigned to improve the harbor works at
In 1845, Cram served as chief
From 1847 to 1855, he worked as an assistant in the United States Coast Survey[2] and had the responsibility for the New England region.[15]
From 1855 to 1858 he was the chief topographical engineer for the Department of the Pacific.[2] He led survey teams on expeditions through the Oregon and Washington Territories and worked to determine the feasibility of a water route to the Pacific Ocean through Central America.[16]
The American Civil War broke out in April 1861. Cram was promoted to major in August 1861[17] and then to lieutenant colonel in September 1861.[18] He served as aide to Brigadier General — from May 1862 Major General — John E. Wool from 1861 to 1863 and was engaged in the campaign to capture Norfolk, Virginia, in May 1862. Cram transferred to the United States Army Corps of Engineers when the Topographical Engineers were disbanded in 1863, and was promoted to 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.[3]
Cram died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[2][19]
Bibliography
- Basin of the Mississippi, and its Natural Business Site, Briefly Considered., New York: Narine & Co., 1851
- Address of Captain T.J. Cram, U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers, Delivered at the Board of Trade Rooms, June 28 and Repeated Before the Corn Exchange Association, of Philadelphia, July 11, 1860, Upon Ocean Steam Ships Proposed to Run Between Philadelphia and Europe, and California, In the Lines of a Corporation Titled the "California, Philadelphia, and European Steamship Company.", Philadelphia: Jackson Printer, 1860
- Memoir Upon the Northern Inter-Oceanic Route of Commercial Transit, Between Tide Water of the Puget Sound of the Pacific, and, Tide Water of the St. Lawrence Gulf of the Atlantic Ocean., Detroit: Board of Trade, 1868
Citations
- ^ Granite State Monthly, Volumes 45-46. Concord, New Hampshire: The Granite Monthly Company. 1913. p. 270. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Thomas Jefferson Cram". www.penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ a b Balch, Galusha Burchard (1897). Genealogy of the Balch Families in America. Salem, Massachusetts: Eben Putnam. pp. 149–150. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ Larson 1979, p. 38.
- ^ Larson 1979, p. 42.
- ^ Schubert, Frank N. (1988). The Nation Builders - A Sesquicentennial History of the Corps of Topographical Engineers 1838-1863 (PDF). Fort Belvoir, Virginia: Office of History - United States Army Corps of Engineers. pp. 55–56. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "General Map to Accompany the Report of Capt T.J. Cram on the Boundary Between Michigan and Wiskonsin [sic]". www.americanhistory.si.edu. National Museum of American History. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ a b Rohde, William C. "Wisconsin-Upper Michigan State Boundary Surveys". www.wsls.org. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Surveyor's Tree Blaze". www.wisconsinhistory.org. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Larson 1979, p. 49.
- ^ Larson 1979, pp. 50–51.
- ^ Johnson, Leland R. (1974). The Falls City Engineers: A History of the Louisville District Corps of Engineers United States Army. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. p. 100. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Manders, Damon (2011). Engineers Far From Ordinary - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in St. Louis (PDF). St. Louis: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. pp. 44–45. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Traas 1993, pp. 117–120.
- ^ "South Wellfleet and the U.S. Coast Survey". www.southwellfleet.wordpress.com. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ Davis, Jefferson (1856). Report of the Secretary of War, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 5th instant, a copy of the report of Captain Thomas J. Cram, Corps of Topographical Engineers of November, 1856, on the oceanic routes to California. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ O'Brien 1864, p. 116.
- ^ O'Brien 1864, p. 181.
- ^ "Thomas Cram". Laurel Hill Cemetery. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
Sources
- 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 https://web.archive.org/web/20140926122419/http://topogs.org/History.htm and https://web.archive.org/web/20110728120914/http://www.topogs.org/History2.htm
- Larson, John W. (1979). Those Army Engineers - A History of the Chicago District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- O'Brien, Thos. M. (1864). General orders of the War Department Embracing the Years 1861, 1862 & 1863. Derby & Miller.
- Traas, Adrian G. (1993). From the Golden Gate to Mexico City: The U.S. Army Topographical Engineers in the Mexican War 1846-1848. Office of History, Corps of Engineers and Center of Military History - United States Army. ISBN 9780160346200.
External links
- Manitowish Waters Historical Society - Thomas Jefferson Cram Maps 1838-1841
- Report of the Secretary of War, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 5th instant, a copy of the report of Captain Thomas J. Cram, Corps of Topographical Engineers of November, 1856, on the oceanic routes to California
- Topographical memoir and report of Captain T.J. Cram, on Territories of Oregon and Washington
- University of Wisconsin Milwaukee - American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection - Thomas J. Cram Maps