Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th President, rose from volunteer to the rank of major general in the U.S. civil war. He was wounded at least four times and had four horses shot from under him. Ulysses S. Grant later wrote of Hayes, "his 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."
Hi Makanudo, our highest mountain in Australia is Mt Kosciusko, named by a Polish explorer Count Strzelecki in 1823. His party explored the south east of Australia, and when they came upon the mountain (in the now the Great Dividing Range and the Snowy Mountains), Strzelecki was anxious to divine the course of the range and its elevations. Crossing difficult terrain, creeks and rivers, he found himself at an elevation of 6510 feet above sea level. He wrote, "The particular configuration of this eminence struck me so forcibly by its similarity to a mound elevated in Cracow over the tomb of the patriot Kosciuszko, that although on a foreign country, on foreign ground, but amongst a free people. I could not refrain from giving it the name of Mt Kosciuszko." Strzelecki himself, a great explorer and geologist, was also honoured both here in Australia and in Poland - the Strzelecki Ranges south of the Great Dividing Range are so named.
Wikipedia writes about Hayes,that he was gallant and popular with his soldiers,but not much gifted as a military leader. Understandable,because he had to learn the "art of war" by doing and never held an real important command. I did not know much about the president Hayes,except that a departemento in Paraguay,where I have lived for twelve years,is named after him.Also the capital of the departemento "Presidente Hayes" (pronounced "Hajes" in Paraguay) is named "Villa Hayes". It is because Hayes settled a territorial dispute between Argentina and Paraguay after the "Triple-Alliance-War",what alloted the territory to Paraguay. Presidente Hayes is the third largest departemento of Paraguay. However it is very thinly populated.On an aera about the size of Ireland live about 100.000 people. Hayes is highly esteemed in Paraguay.
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742-1819) Blücher joined the swedish army at the age of 16 in the Seven Years War. When he was taken prisoner by the Prussian in 1760,he joined the prussian army. Through several campaigns,he rose to the rank of a general. Called back from retirement in 1813 he led the prussian/russian armies in the war of liberation against Napoleon. During his dicisive victory in the "Battle of Nations",near Leipzig in October 1813,he was promoted to General-Field-Marshall of Prussia. He insisted on pursuing the beaten French and brought this campaign to an end in March 1814,whith conquering Paris. He went into retirement again,but was called back to the top-position once more,when Napoleon returned to France a year later. He rushed his army to Waterloo and secured Wellington´s final victory over Napoleon. Because of his offensive way of fighting,he was nicknamed "Marschall Vorwärts" (marshal forwards). Being not an educated man,he was not a great military theoretican. But he was a popular leader,who listened to his subalterns like Scharnhorst and Gneisenau,when making decisions. And he was very,very successful... He was awarded the highest military order of Prussia and remained the only one having received it,until one hundred years later Hindenburg joined him. Stamp issued Nov.9th,1953. (from a set of 6)
