The 19th President of the United States (1877-1881), Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president in one of the most contentious and hotly disputed elections in American history.

Hayes joined the 23rd Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War in 1861 and partcipated in the Battle of South Mountain on 14 September. Hayes led a charge against an entrenched position and was shot through his left arm, fracturing the bone. The regiment continued on to Antietam, but Hayes was out of action for the rest of the campaign.

He went on to participate in several other skirmishes and sprained his ankle after being thrown from a horse and was struck in the head by a spent round, which did not cause serious damage.

Hayes's conduct drew the attention of his superiors, with Ulysses S. Grant later writing of Hayes that "[h]is conduct on the field was marked by conspicuous gallantry as well as the display of qualities of a higher order than that of mere personal daring."

He would be promoted to brigadier general in October 1864.