Each Memorial Day, generations of the Hays family gather at the granite monument of Union hero Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Cemetery, where nine muzzle-down bronze cannon stand in solemn silence. This episode traces “The General’s” remarkable journey—from Allegheny River boat-hand and civil engineer to West Point cadet alongside Ulysses S. Grant, from early service in Mexico to fearless brigade command at Gettysburg, and finally to his ultimate sacrifice in the Wilderness of 1864. As our relatives lay red, white, and blue flowers on the grass each year, we keep alive a legacy of service, courage, and quiet remembrance.

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