Cyrus was born in September of 1839 in York, Maine and had enlisted in the Marine Corps in Boston in 1869. It was his actions on the 11th of June, 1871 that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

On board the USS Colorado during the attack and capture of the Korean forts, 11 June 1871. Serving as color bearer of the battalion, Hayden planted his flag on the ramparts of the citadel and protected it under a heavy fire from the enemy.

Cyrus Freeman Hayden died on the 25th of February 1912 and is buried in the Fairmount Cemetery in Presque Isle, Maine; section c, lot 42.