Rutherford Birchard Hayes

(1822 - 1893)
Home State: Ohio
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 23rd Ohio Infantry

Before the Antietam Campaign:
Pre-War Profession: Lawyer and politician. In June 1861 he was appointed Maj. of the 23rd OH - soon after promoted LCol.

In the Antietam Campaign:
Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 23rd OH Regiment part of First Brigade/Kanawha Division/Ninth (IX) Corps he was wounded at South Mountain.

The remainder of the War:
He commanded the 1st Brigade/2nd Division/Army of West VA in Shenandoah Valley campaign at Fisher's Hill and at Cedar Creek. In October 1864 he was appointed BGen. of Volunteers and served on garrison duty.

After the War:
Post-war he was a US congressman, Governor of OH, US President.

References, Sources, and other notes:
His Presidential Election (from the White House site):

Safe liberalism, party loyalty, and a good war record made Hayes an acceptable Republican candidate in 1876. He opposed Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York.

Although a galaxy of famous Republican speakers, and even Mark Twain, stumped for Hayes, he expected the Democrats to win. When the first returns seemed to confirm this, Hayes went to bed, believing he had lost. But in New York, Republican National Chairman Zachariah Chandler, aware of a loophole, wired leaders to stand firm: "Hayes has 185 votes and is elected." The popular vote apparently was 4,300,000 for Tilden to 4,036,000 for Hayes. Hayes's election depended upon contested electoral votes in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. If all the disputed electoral votes went to Hayes, he would win; a single one would elect Tilden.

Months of uncertainty followed. In January 1877 Congress established an Electoral Commission to decide the dispute. The commission, made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, determined all the contests in favor of Hayes by eight to seven. The final electoral vote: 185 to 184.

Birth State: OH
College: Kenyon College/Harvard Law

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