Major General Rutherford B. Hayes

Citizen Soldier  United States President

With the start of the Civil War, Rutherford Hayes left a life of leisure to accept a commission as a major in the 23rd Ohio Infantry. Hayes enjoyed the rugged military life and fought bravely, receiving four wounds in action during his service. In the fall of 1862, he led a charge in the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland. Despite receiving heavy losses in his unit and a musket wound himself, Hayes held his position. He was promoted to colonel and in 1863 his troops helped stop Morgan's raiders at Buffington, Ohio. During the Battle of Winchester, Virginia, 1864, his unit's flags were the first to enter the town. Later that year, Hayes was wounded for the fourth time in the Battle of Cedar Creek. After the battle, he was promoted to brevet brigadier general on the recommendation of General George C. Crook. In 1865, Hayes was elected to the House of Representatives without campaigning. He believed that “any officer fit for duty, who at this crisis would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress, ought to be scalped.” He was brevetted a major general of volunteers “for gallant and distinguished services during the campaign of 1864 in West Virginia . . .” Rutherford Hayes became the 19th president of the United States in 1877. He looked back on his wartime service as “the best years of our lives.

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Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles American Civil War visitors top DVD picks Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles With beautifully shot footage of reenactors, Civil War Combat illustrates aspects of four particular Civil War battles that are rightfully considered legendary. Filmed on location, the reenactors depict the violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor. Produced by the History Channel, the episodes all benefit from insightful appearances by historians as well as rangers from the National Park Service. The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns The most successful public television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. The Civil War evokes atmosphere and resurrects an event that many knew only from stale history books Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins The battles have been documented, the generals lionized. We have seen the turning points and the sacrifices. Now let Civil War Journal take you deeper, into the personal stories. Join host Danny Glover as he takes you through diaries, photographs, and factual re-enactments. Finally, a Civil War program that makes you feel the private and intimate side of the great conflict. Civil War Minutes Volumn 1 In Civil War Minutes - Union Volume 1, you will learn about the lives of soldiers through their handwritten letters to home. Also find out what life was like from the perspective of the average foot soldier through never-before-seen photographs, artifacts and rare paintings and engravings. Find out what is the General Beauregard Pipe; what is the Report of Samuel Weaver and how it was related to Gettysburg; what is a musket and much more!

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