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| Heman Allen Fay, born in 1779, entered West Point Military Academy in March 1807, at the age of 27. After graduation, he served in the Corps of Artillery, and then over the years in various capacities. His story is told by Orlin (see the short biography), and can be found in other places also (for example, the brief article in the 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans); the entry in the Historical Register is shown below. But Heman's story is told most clearly and vividly for us in his own words in letters he wrote in connection with the Cullum inquiries. |
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| President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy early in 1802. The first two cadets graduated in October of 1802. There was no predetermined program or length of study in the early years; and by 1812, only 89 cadets had been graduated. Heman Allen Fay was among them. |
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In the 1840s or 1850, a man by the name of George Washington Cullum conceived the idea of telling the stories of all of the graduates up to his time. He gave each graduate a number known as the Cullum number. [Read more about George W. Cullum] |
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"The Cullum number is a reference and identification number assigned to each graduate of the United States Military Academy. It was created by Brevet Major General George W. Cullum, USMA Class of 1833, who, in 1850, began the monumental work of chronicling the biographies of every graduate. He assigned Number 1 to the first West Point graduate, Joseph G. Swift, and then numbered all successive graduates in sequence. Before his death in 1892, General Cullum completed the first three volumes of a work that eventually comprised 10 volumes, entitled General Cullum�s Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, and covering USMA classes from 1802 through 1950. The current Register of Graduates is a direct descendant of General Cullum�s seminal work. |
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"From 1802 through the Class of 1977, graduates were listed by General Order of Merit. Thus, the Register provided a quick reference for those looking for class rank. Beginning with the Class of 1978, graduates were listed alphabetically, and then by date of graduation."
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| --from Association of Graduates USMA
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Heman's Cullum number seems to have been 36. Thanks to the interest of Susan Fay McGinn and her daughter Mary McGinn Vickers, copies of the letters found in Heman's Cullum file at West Point have been made available. There are 5 letters by Heman about his service, a short one from John Symington, a letter of inquiry dated 1904, a copy of a magazine article, and a death notice.
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The entry in the Historical Register for Heman A. Fay, which is not the same as his Cullum entry but is supposed to be sourced in part on that, reads:
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Fay, Heman Allen. Vt. Vt. Cadet Military Academy 20 Mar 1807 (6); 2 lieutenant artillerists 13 June 1808; 1 lieutenant 23 Dec 1811; transferred to corps artillery 12 May 1814; honorable discharged 15 June 1815; military storekeeper quartermaster d 3 Jan 1818; removed 1 July 1842; [died 20 Aug 1865.] From: Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, [p.412] F. page 415.
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