Alexander Hays
| Alexander Hays | |
|---|---|
Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Fighting Elleck" |
| Born |
July 8, 1819 Franklin, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 5, 1864 (aged 44) Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia |
| Place of burial | Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1844–1848, 1861–1864 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Unit | |
| Commands held | 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
Mexican-American War
American Civil War
Alexander Hays (July 8, 1819 – May 5, 1864) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War, killed in the Battle of the Wilderness.
Hays was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, the son of Samuel Hays, a member of Congress and general in the Pennsylvania militia. He studied at Allegheny College and then transferred to the United States Military Academy in his senior year, graduating in 1844, ranking 20th out of 25 cadets. Among his classmates were future Civil War generals Alfred Pleasonton and Winfield S. Hancock. He became a close personal friend of Ulysses S. Grant, who had graduated the year before. Hays was brevetted as a second lieutenant in the 8th U.S. Infantry. He served in the Mexican-American War, and won special distinction in an engagement near Atlixco. In April 1848, he resigned his commission in the army and returned to Pennsylvania.
He settled in Venango County, where he engaged in the manufacture of iron from 1848–50 before briefly leaving for the California gold fields to seek his fortune. Failing that, he returned home and became an assistant construction engineer for the railroad until 1854. From 1854 through 1860, Hays was a civil engineer for the city of Pittsburgh, helping plan several bridge building projects.
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Wikipedia