John Hayes (20 July 1832 - 28 January 1911) was a veteran of the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Biography

Hayes was born in the

Colony of Newfoundland Newfoundland Colony was an English and, later, British colony established in 1610 on the island of Newfoundland off the Atlantic coast of Canada, in what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That followed decades of sporadic English ...

, but left his home at an early age to work on British and American merchant vessels in the years leading up to the Civil War. He joined the United States Navy in December 1861. He served throughout the Civil War and was discharged in August 1868. Later in 1868, Hayes moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and served on several ships that sailed the Great Lakes. He soon abandoned his naval lifestyle and settled down on a farm in Wisconsin and married. Near the end of his life, Hayes moved to Blairstown, Iowa, to be near his daughter. He died in January 1911.

Battle of Cherbourg

In June 1864, Hayes was serving as the second captain of the number two gun of the . The ship was pursuing the CSS ''Alabama'', a successful commerce raiding ship. On June 19, 1864, the ''Kearsarge'' found the ''Alabama'' off of the coast of the French port of

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. The two ships battled, and the ''Alabama'' was destroyed in less than an hour. The accuracy of the gun operated by Hayes was instrumental in sinking the ''Alabama''. Hayes received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

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