Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16651, Rutherford B. Hayes letter to Major Davis, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was a gift from Ronald Rubin to the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on July 5, 2018.

Biographical / Historical

Rutherford Birchard Hayes (/ˈrʌðərfərd/; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Ohio. Before the U.S. Civil War, Hayes was a lawyer and staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings. He served in the Union Army and the House of Representatives before assuming the presidency. His presidency represents a turning point in U.S. history, as historians consider it the formal end of Reconstruction. By placating southern Democrats, Hayes ended all federal efforts to bring racial equality to the South.

Source: "Rutherford B. Hayes" Wikipedia. Accessed 1/27/22

Content Description

One autographed signed letter by Rutherford B. Hayes to Major Davis regarding reports about the American Civil War and Morgan's Raid in Buffington, Ohio, in July 1863.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Presidents -- United States
• Rutherford B. Hayes
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives