John Hayes

He Kept His Gun Crew Steady Against the Alabama

John Hayes was born on July 20, 1832, in Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador. He later entered service in the United States Navy and, during the American Civil War, served aboard USS Kearsarge as a Coxswain. His naval career would become permanently associated with one of the most famous single-ship engagements of the war—the battle between USS Kearsarge and the Confederate raider CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France.

By 1864, CSS Alabama had become one of the Confederacy’s most successful commerce raiders. Operating far from American waters, she had attacked Union merchant shipping across the Atlantic and beyond, making her destruction an important objective for the United States Navy.

USS Kearsarge eventually located Alabama at Cherbourg, where the Confederate vessel had entered port. When Alabama prepared to leave and fight, Kearsarge waited offshore.

On June 19, 1864, the two ships met in battle in the English Channel off Cherbourg.

John Hayes entered that engagement as a Coxswain aboard Kearsarge. During the battle, however, he also performed a specific combat assignment as second captain of the No. 2 gun. This was a battle station rather than a separate naval rank, and his formal rating remained Coxswain.

Once the fighting began, both ships maneuvered while exchanging heavy gunfire.

Naval combat demanded extraordinary discipline from gun crews. Cannon had to be loaded, aimed, fired, and serviced repeatedly while enemy shells struck or passed close to the ship. Confusion at a gun position could reduce the effectiveness of an entire battery, making steadiness under fire essential.

Hayes distinguished himself precisely in those circumstances.

His Medal of Honor record praised his marked coolness and good conduct during the engagement. The officer commanding his division specifically commended him for gallantry under enemy fire.

Those words are particularly significant because they describe sustained battlefield conduct rather than a single isolated act.

Hayes remained at his station while Kearsarge fought Alabama at close enough range for both ships to exchange destructive fire. Serving as second captain of the No. 2 gun, he helped maintain the effectiveness of his gun crew during a battle in which every accurate shot contributed to the survival of the ship and the defeat of its opponent.

The engagement continued until Alabama was fatally damaged.

Unable to continue the fight, the Confederate raider eventually went down off Cherbourg.

The destruction of Alabama was an important Union naval victory. One of the Confederacy’s most notorious commerce raiders had been eliminated, ending a cruise that had threatened Union merchant shipping across wide areas of the world's oceans.

For Hayes, however, the significance of the battle was deeply personal.

His conduct under fire had been observed, recorded, and formally praised.

The Medal of Honor recognition that followed was based on the calmness, discipline, and gallantry he demonstrated while performing his duties during the fight.

His service provides an important reminder of what naval courage often looked like during the Civil War. A sailor did not necessarily have to board an enemy vessel or conduct an individual rescue to distinguish himself. Remaining at a gun station, carrying out demanding duties while shells were flying, and helping a crew continue firing effectively could require exceptional courage and self-control.

Hayes demonstrated those qualities aboard Kearsarge.

His Medal of Honor was recorded under General Order No. 45, dated December 31, 1864.

The decoration recognized his conduct in the battle of June 19 and placed his name among the sailors officially honored for the victory over CSS Alabama.

No additional clasp, bar, star, or other device accompanied his Medal of Honor.

The award was connected directly to his service aboard USS Kearsarge and to the extraordinary engagement off Cherbourg.

Hayes survived the Civil War and lived for more than four decades after the conflict ended. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the battle between Kearsarge and Alabama had become one of the best-known naval encounters of the Civil War, remembered both for its international setting and for the destruction of a Confederate raider that had operated across the world's oceans.

John Hayes remained part of that history.

He died on January 28, 1911, in Blairstown, Iowa, and was buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Blairstown.

His Medal of Honor story is defined by professional courage under fire.

On June 19, 1864, he stood at his battle station aboard USS Kearsarge while the ship exchanged heavy fire with CSS Alabama off the coast of France. Acting as second captain of the No. 2 gun, he performed his duties with the coolness and discipline that his officers considered worthy of special recognition.

There was no dramatic change of command and no need for an invented heroic gesture.

The official record itself is powerful enough.

Under enemy fire, John Hayes remained composed, performed his duties effectively, and earned the praise of the officers who witnessed his conduct.

That gallantry helped secure his place in the history of USS Kearsarge, the Battle of Cherbourg, and the United States Navy—and earned Coxswain John Hayes the Medal of Honor.