John Alfred Hayes (1839–1913) was a notable

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

surgeon and officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and later a physician in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. John Alfred Hayes was born in

Berwick, Maine Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States, situated in the southern part of the state beside the Salmon Falls River. Today's South Berwick was set off from Berwick in 1814, North Berwick in 1831. The population was 7,950 at th ...

, to a Sarah (Hurd) Hayes and Frederick Hayes, a large farmer and lumber producer who was active in the Freewill Baptist Church. Hayes attended the local schools and then West Lebanon Academy, and the

New Hampton School New Hampton School is an independent college preparatory high school in New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States. It has 305 students from over 30 states and 22 countries. The average class size is eleven, and the student-faculty ratio is five t ...

. In 1858 he began studying medicine 1858 with Dr. J. S. Ross, in

Somersworth, New Hampshire Somersworth is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,855 at the 2020 census. Somersworth has the smallest area and third-lowest population of New Hampshire's 13 cities. History Somersworth, originally ca ...

, and then at

Dartmouth Medical School The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth is the graduate medical school of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The fourth oldest medical school in the United States, it was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith. It is o ...

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...

, and

Jefferson Medical School Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

before graduating from Dartmouth in 1861. He worked at the

New Hampshire State Hospital The New Hampshire State Hospital was originally constructed in 1842 in Concord, New Hampshire, Concord, New Hampshire, as the seventeenth such mental institution in the country to cater to the state's mentally ill population. History It ...

(New Hampshire Insane Asylum) at Concord until 1862, when he became assistant surgeon and a major in the 11th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment, where he served in many notable battles, including the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, and he led large field hospitals containing up to 17,000 disabled soldiers at the time of

Lee's surrender The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...

at Appomattox. Hayes was made a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

lieutenant-colonel on March 13, 1865. After the war ended in 1865, Hayes practiced medicine in

Biddeford, Maine Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

, until 1868, when he moved to Somersworth, New Hampshire. In 1869 he married Mary Abby Rollins in Somersworth, and they had four children. From 1867 to 1890, he was appointed U.S. examining surgeon for pensions, and also served as Somersworth's town physician for over a decade. Hayes was a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, the Somersworth Medical Society, and the New Hampshire Medical Society. He was a Congregationalist, and a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

.William Frederick Whitcher, Edward Everett Parker, ''Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire'' (1908) He died in 1913. He was the brother of soldier

Frederick Hayes Frederick Hayes (1842-1911) was an American military officer, Union Army engineer, and early manager of Pfizer who served in the American Civil War and was awarded a Medal of Honor. Frederick Hayes, Jr. was born in Berwick, Maine in 1842 to Sarah ...

and attorney and legislator Benjamin Franklin Hayes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, John Alfred Union Army officers Geisel School of Medicine alumni 1839 births 1913 deaths New Hampton School alumni