Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-06-27
Union Candidate For Governor,

OF our candidate Tor Governor. zen.
r. B. Hays. Representative in Con-
gress of the Second District, and
Republican nominee for Governor of
Ohio, is q native OF this State. He
was born in Delaware, Ohio, Oct. 4,
1922. At twenty years Of age he
graduated at Kenyon College. He
graduated at the Harvard Law
School, Cambridge, Mass, in 1874,
and in the same year was admitted
10 the bar at Marietta, Ohio. He
has been fo- seventeen years resi-
den of Cincinnati. The only office
he held before entering the army
was that of City Solicitor, to which
he was twice elected. Early in 1861
he took decided stand in the Re-
publican County Convention for the
coercion of rebels, and proceeded to
demonstrate his sincerity by enter
ing the army.
He was appointed Major of the
Twenty. third Ohio Volunteer Infan-
try, and served with the regiment
throughout the war. He was with
Rosecrans in West Virginia; with
McClelland in the Antietam cam
paign; with Crook at Cloyd Noun
tain; with Hunter on the Lynchburg
raid; with Sheridan in the Valley of
Virginia There are no better mill
tary records than his if they are to
be rated by brave, faithful, steadfast
service. At the battle of South
Mountain he was severely wounded.
The following account of his bear
ing and that Of his regiment, in this
battle, is from "Ohio in the War"
"At South Mountain the regiment,
under Lieut. Col. Hays, (Col. Scam
mon commanding division, was the
first infantry engaged, being the ad-
vance of the column on that day 1t
was ordered, at an early hour. to adj
vance by an unfrequented road lead
ing up the mountain, and to attack
the enemy. Posted behind stone
walls, the enemy, in greatly superior
numbers, poured destructive fire of
musketry, grape and canister into
our ranks at very short range and in
very short space of time Lieutenant
Colonel Hayes, Captain Skiles, and
Lieutenants Hood, Ritter and Smith
were each badly wounded, Colonel
Hays arm broken; Captain Skiles
shot through the elbow, arm ampn-
tated; Ritter, leg amputated, and
over one hundred dead and wounded
lay upon the field out of the three
hundred and fifty who went into &C
ton. The command now devolyed
upon Major Comley, and remained
with him from that time forward
The enemy suddenly opened fire
from the left, and the regiment
changed front on the first company.
Lieutenant Colonel Hayes soon after
again made his appearance on the
field, with his wound half dressed,
and fought, against the remonstrance
of the whole command, until carried
off. Soon after the remainder of the
brigade came up, a gallant charge
was made up the hill and the enemy
was dislodged and driven into the
woods beyond. In this charge a
large number of the enemy were kill
ed with the bayonet. During the
remainder Of the day the regiment
fought with its division. Three bay
onet charges were made 10y the regi-
ment during the day, in each of
which the enemy were driven with
heavy loss. During the day the
Twenty third lost nearly 200, of
whom almost one-fourth were killed
on the field or afterward died of
their wounds. Only seven men were
unaccounted for at the roll-call after
the action The coIors of the regi-
ment were ri6dled, and the blue field
almost completely carried away by
shells ana bullets"
At the celebrated battle OF Ope-
quan or Winchester, Col. Hayes dis
tinguished himself alike by his sound
judgment and brilliant daring. OF
this affair we read in 'Ohie in the
War
''After the usual amount of march
ing and counter marching, from the
4th to the 18th of September, the
battle of Opequan was fought on the
18th. Gen. Crooks command was
in reserve, but was very soon
brought into action and sent to the
extreme right of the line to make a
flank attack. Hayes brigade had
the extreme right of the infantry
The position was reached under Gov
er OF an almost impenetrable growth
OF cedar, crossing a swampy stream.
Here the division was halted and
formed-First Brigade { Hayes in
front, and the Second (Johnson's)
in the rear. Throwing out a light
line of skirmishers the brigade ad-
vanced rapidly to the front, driving
the enemy's cavalry. The national
cavalry at the same time advanced
out of the woods on the right. After
advancing in this way across two or
three open fields, under a scattering
fire, the crest of a slight elevation
was reached, when the enemy's in
fantry line came into view, off dag
onally to the left front, and he open
ed brisk artillery fire.
"Moving forward double quick.
under this fire, the brigade reached o
thick fringe Of underbrush, dashing
through which it came upon deep
slough, forty yards wide, and nearly
waist deep, with soft mud at the bot
tom, evergrown with thick bed of
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