A famous Pittsburgher in the Battle of Gettysburg: The story of Alexander Hays
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - This weekend marks the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
And while many men from around the region fought in what is known as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, KDKA's Chris DeRose took a trip to the Heinz History Center to find out about one Pittsburgh general who helped win the day.
Alexander Hays was originally from Franklin, Pa., and at the start of the Civil War, he was an engineer in Pittsburgh.
From July 1-3, 1863, the now-General Hays found himself leading a division during the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle was a turning point in the Civil War. Had the Confederates won the three-day clash, many historians say they could have won the war.
But it is what Hays and his men did on the third day of fighting at Gettysburg that may have saved the Union.
Andy Masich, the President of the Heinz History Center, described what Hays and his men saw that day as thousands of Confederates marched toward their Union line in what would become known as Pickett's Charge.
"It was a terrible sight. But the Union men, behind their stone wall, used their muskets, their artillery swept the field, and Pickett's men, though they reached the stone wall, couldn't hold it," Masich said.
After the Confederates were pushed back, Hays, fearing a counterattack, rallied his men by dragging a fallen Confederate flag behind his horse for all to see.
"He said to his aids, 'Boys, pick up one of those rebel banners. Let's show them what we think of them.' And they galloped up and down. The Union men threw their hats in the air and cheered."
After Gettysburg, Hays was killed less than a year later at the Battle of the Wilderness, and he was laid to rest at the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh; his loss was felt by so many, but it was keenly felt by his friend and his commander, Ulysses S. Grant.
When Grant was running for president in 1868 and came to Pittsburgh, the only place he wanted to see was the grave of his friend, and the city leaders brought Grant to the cemetery to pay his respects.
"He went over and sat on one of those cannons stuck in the ground, and in just a minute, the dignitaries, watching him carefully, could see his shoulders heave, and he was sobbing. Later, the mayor said that he (Grant) wept like a child at the grave of Alexander Hays," Masich added.
DeRose: The History Museum remembers Hays with his sword and portrait, but what do you think Hays's legacy is?
Masich: Alexander Hays is a hero. He is someone who should be remembered with monuments, with museum exhibits. But in a large scene, he is representative of a generation that gave their last full measure of devotion.
For more information on Alexander Hays, stop by the Heinz History Center, and of course, you can visit his monuments any time in both Gettysburg and Pittsburgh at the Allegheny Cemetery.
