Alexander ÒFighting ElleckÓ Hays

Download or read book Alexander ÒFighting ElleckÓ Hays written by Wayne Mahood and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-06-17 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although he never achieved the renown of Ulysses S. Grant or Robert E. Lee, General Alexander Hays was one of the great military men of the Civil War. Born July 8, 1819, in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Hays graduated from West Point and served with distinction during the Mexican War. When the Civil War began a few years later, it was no surprise that Hays immediately volunteered and was given the initial rank of colonel with a later meritorious promotion to general. Hays was also known for his concern for his men, a fact that no doubt contributed to the acclaim which he received after his death on May 5, 1864, at the age of 44. From West Point to the Civil War, this biography takes a look at Hays’s life, concentrating—with good cause—on his military career. Personal correspondence and contemporary sources are used to complete the picture of a complex man, devoted husband and father, and gifted and dedicated soldier.