Remembering Gettysburg, Civil War and Pittsburgh Civil War Hero Alexander Hayes.

Alexander Hayes was a skilled marksman and horseman. Entering Allegheny College in 1836, he left the school in his senior year to accept an appointment to West Point.

With the beginning of the Civil War in April 1861, Hayes applied to return to the US Army. Commissioned as a captain in the 16th US Infantry, he left this unit in October to become colonel of the 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry.

Hayes was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1841. He enlisted in the Union army in 1861 and fought in several battles in the Eastern Theater, including the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Antietam.

At Gettysburg, Hayes was part of defeating Pickett's Charge, which was a failed attempt by the Confederate army to break through Union lines. Hayes was wounded during the charge and taken prisoner. He was eventually released from prison and returned to Pittsburgh.

Hayes died in 1910 at the age of 69. He is buried in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh. Here are some additional details about Pickett's Charge:

• It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

• The goal of the charge was to break through Union lines and capture Cemetery Ridge, a key strategic position.

• The charge involved approximately 15,000 Confederate soldiers.

• The Union army was well-prepared for the charge and opened fire with artillery and muskets.

• The Confederate attack was repulsed with heavy losses.

• Pickett's Charge is considered one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War.

The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil War. The Confederate defeat at Gettysburg effectively ended the Confederate army's hopes of invading the North and winning the war.

President Ulysses S. Grant visited the grave of his friend, Alexander Hayes, in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1868. Hays was a Union general who was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864.

Grant was in Pittsburgh to attend a reunion of veterans of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he had been a colonel. After the reunion, Grant visited Hayes's grave with a group of dignitaries, including the mayor of Pittsburgh, Jared Brush.

According to Brush, Grant was visibly moved by the visit. He read the inscription on Hays's gravestone and then sat down on a nearby cannon, where he remained for several minutes in silence. When he finally spoke, he said, "He was the bravest man I ever knew."

Grant's visit to Hayes's grave is a reminder of the deep personal friendships that were forged during the Civil War. It is also a testament to Grant's respect for Hayes's courage and sacrifice.

Here are some additional details about Grant's visit to Hays's grave:

• Grant arrived at the cemetery in a carriage, accompanied by a group of dignitaries.

• They walked to Hayes's grave, which was marked by a large monument.

• Grant read the inscription on the monument and then sat down on a nearby cannon.

• He remained in silence for several minutes, before speaking to the group.

• He said that Hayes was the bravest man he ever knew.

• Grant's visit was widely reported in the newspapers of the day.

• It is remembered as a touching tribute to a fallen comrade.