Herman Haupt
| Herman Haupt | |
|---|---|
Gen. Herman Haupt
|
|
| Born |
March 26, 1817 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | December 14, 1905 (aged 88) Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Place of burial | West Laurel Hill Cemetery Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1835; 1862–1863 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Commands held | U.S. Military Railroads |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Herman Haupt (Philadelphia, March 26, 1817 – Jersey City, December 14, 1905) was an American civil engineer and railroad construction engineer and executive. A Union Army General, he played a key role in the American Civil War, during which he revolutionized U.S. military transportation, particularly the use of railroads.
Haupt, whose first name was sometimes spelled Hermann, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 26, 1817, the son of Jacob and Anna Margaretta Wiall Haupt. Jacob, a merchant, died when Herman was 12 years old, leaving Anna to support three sons and two daughters. Herman worked part-time to pay his school tuition, then in 1831 was appointed to the United States Military Academy at the age of 14 by President Andrew Jackson. He graduated in 1835 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Infantry that July.
He resigned his commission on September 30, 1835, to accept an appointment under Henry R Campbell as Assistant Engineer engaged in the surveys of the Allentown road and of the Norristown & Valley Railroad, which opened in 1835 and 15 years later merged into the Chester Valley railroad.
At 19, he was appointed Assistant Engineer in the state service and located the line from Gettysburg to the Potomac across the South Mountain which is now a part of the Western Maryland.
On August 30, 1838, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he married Ann Cecelia Keller, with whom he would have seven sons and four daughters. In 1839, he designed and patented a novel bridge construction technique known as the Haupt Truss. Two of his Haupt truss bridges still stand in Altoona and Ardmore, Pennsylvania, both from 1854.
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