Robert Patterson Hughes (April 11, 1839 – October 27, 1909) was an American military officer. He served from 1861 until 1903 and attained the rank of major general. A native of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, he was educated at local academies and taught school before attending Jefferson College. He left college to join the Union Army for the American Civil War, and rose to the rank of colonel by

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

. After the war, Hughes received a commission in the United States Army. He participated in engagements of the American Indian Wars, and served for several years as aide-de-camp to his Alfred Terry, who became his brother-in-law. By the mid-1880s, Hughes had been promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and began to serve in various commands as an

inspector general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

. During the Spanish–American War in 1898, he was promoted to brigadier general and served on the staff of Major General Elwell Stephen Otis, the commander of Eighth Army Corps during its duty in the Philippines. Hughes continued to serve in the Philippines during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

and was assigned as commander of the Military Department of the Visayas. After returning to the United States, Hughes was promoted to major general as commander of the

Department of California The Department of California was an administrative department of the United States Army. The Department was created in 1858, replacing the original Department of the Pacific, and it was ended by the reorganizations of the Henry L. Stimson Plan i ...

. Hughes retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1903. He lived in Philadelphia, where he died on October 27, 1909. He was buried at

Grove Street Cemetery Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground is a cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, that is surrounded by the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace the ...

in New Haven, Connecticut.

Early life

Hughes was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on April 11, 1839, a son of Samuel L. Hughes and Manilla (McClelland) Hughes. He was raised in Canonsburg, Hopewell, and Buffalo in western Pennsylvania, and attended the public schools of Hopewell. He later studied at academies in Cross Creek and Buffalo, received his qualification as a school teacher, and taught in the local schools. He attended Jefferson College in Canonsburg as a member of the class of 1860, but left before graduating in order to join the military during the American Civil War.

Start of career

On April 25, 1861, Hughes enlisted in the Union Army for the American Civil War, joining Company E,

12th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 12th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in Pittsburgh and its surrounding counties in April 1861 for three months of service, the regiment spent its first mo ...

as a private. The 12th Pennsylvania was one of the many regiments created to perform three months' service at the start of the war, and Hughes served until he was mustered out with the rest of his unit on August 5, 1861. On October 11, 1861, Hughes joined the 85th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and received his commission as a first lieutenant. He was promoted to captain on May 20, 1862. On December 6, 1864, he was discharged so he could join the

199th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 199th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, alternately known as the Commercial Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in Philadelphia in late 1864, the regiment enlisted for one year and wa ...

. On December 7, he was commissioned as the 199th's lieutenant colonel, its second-in-command. When his commander was promoted to brigadier general and command of a brigade, Hughes ascended to command of the regiment. He served through the end of the war and was discharged on June 28, 1865. Hughes received a promotion to colonel of volunteers by

to recognize his gallant and distinguished service during the Union Army's April 2, 1865, assault on

Fort Gregg Fort Gregg was a Confederate States of America, Confederate fort located near Petersburg, Virginia. The battle for Fort Gregg occurred on April 2, 1865, as part of the Third Battle of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Dinwiddie County nea ...

, Virginia during the Third Battle of Petersburg.

Continued career

Hughes joined the United States Army after the Civil War and on July 28, 1866, he was commissioned as a captain in the 18th United States Infantry. On March 2, 1867, he received a brevet promotion to major in the regular army to recognize his conduct at Fort Gregg. On July 5, 1870, Hughes was transferred to the 3rd United States Infantry. He served in several American Indian Wars, including the

Great Sioux War of 1876 The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of the war was the ...

. During the 1876 campaign, he was assigned as aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law, Major General Alfred Terry, who commanded one of three columns of troops that fought American Indian tribes in Montana. While on Terry's staff, Hughes authored a critique of George Armstrong Custer's actions leading up to and during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Hughes continued to serve as Terry's aide for eleven years. On February 19, 1885, Hughes was promoted to major and assigned as inspector general of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He continued to serve in the Army's Inspector General department and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 11, 1885 and colonel on August 31, 1888. During the 1888-1889 illness of Roger Jones, the Inspector General of the United States Army, Hughes acted in Jones' place. His subsequent assignments included inspector general of the Military Division of the Atlantic and the same position with the Department of the East.

Spanish–American War

During the Spanish–American War, Hughes served in the Philippines as a member of the staff of Elwell Stephen Otis, who commanded the Eighth Army Corps. He received promotion to brigadier general of Volunteers on June 3, 1898, and was assigned as the corps chief of staff on June 23. He subsequently served as

provost marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

for the city of Manila and commander of a specially created provost marshal unit, the First Separate Brigade. When a large fire threatened to consume the city in February 1899, Hughes led the army's response, and was officially commended by Otis. He later served as commander of the First Military District. Hughes remained in the Philippines during the

and in May 1900 he was appointed to the U.S. commission that was assigned to negotiate with Filipino insurgents. On May 25, 1900, he was named commander of the Department of the Visayas. On February 25, 1901, he was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army.

Later career

After his return from the Philippines, Hughes commanded the Army's

. He was promoted to major general on April 1, 1902. Hughes concluded his military service upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in April 1903. Hughes was active in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. In addition, he was active in the United Spanish War Veterans, and the post in Buffalo, Pennsylvania was named for him.

Death and burial

In retirement, Hughes was a resident of the Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia. He died at his home on October 27, 1909. Hughes was buried at

in New Haven, Connecticut, his wife's hometown. In 1910, Fort Hughes, a Coast Artillery post on Caballo Island in Manila Bay, was named for him. The site was an active U.S. Army post through World War II and is now controlled by the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

. The remnants of old fortifications and batteries are still visible, but the island is closed to the public.

Family

In 1876, Hughes married Clara Henrietta Terry (1835-1891), the sister of Major General Alfred Terry. They had no children, and after his wife's 1891 death, Hughes frequently visited her family in Connecticut.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Robert Patterson 1839 births 1909 deaths American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania People of the Great Sioux War of 1876 Union Army colonels United States Army generals