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 Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 180 ...

, 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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and rose to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

by brevet. After the war, Hughes received a commission in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He participated in engagements of the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

, and served for several years as aide-de-camp to

Alfred Terry Alfred Howe Terry (November 10, 1827 – December 16, 1890) was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869, and again from 1872 to 1886. In 1865, Terry led Union troops to v ...

, who became his brother-in-law. By the mid-1880s, Hughes had been promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and began to serve in various commands as an inspector general. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

in 1898, he was promoted to brigadier general and served on the staff of Major General

Elwell Stephen Otis Elwell Stephen Otis (March 25, 1838 – October 21, 1909) was a United States Army general who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, the Philippines late in the Spanish–American War and during the Philippine–American War. Biography ...

, the commander of Eighth Army Corps during its duty in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Hughes continued to serve in the Philippines during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

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 ...

. Hughes retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1903. He lived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 th ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

Early life

Hughes was born in

on April 11, 1839, a son of Samuel L. Hughes and Manilla (McClelland) Hughes. He was raised in Canonsburg, Hopewell, and

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

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

Start of career

On April 25, 1861, Hughes enlisted in the Union Army for the

, joining Company E, 12th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment 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. 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

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

Fort Gregg Fort Gregg was a 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 Dinwiddie County is a county located in the Commonwealth ...

, Virginia during the

Third Battle of Petersburg The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest Virginia in the area of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersbur ...

Continued career

Hughes joined the

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

, 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 people, Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne against the United States. The cause of t ...

. During the 1876 campaign, he was assigned as aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law, Major General

, 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 George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

's actions leading up to and during the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Si ...

. 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 The Office of the Inspector General (OTIG) serves to "provide impartial, objective and unbiased advice and oversight to the Army through relevant, timely, and thorough inspection, assistance, investigations, and training." The position has exi ...

, Hughes acted in Jones' place. His subsequent assignments included inspector general of the

Military Division of the Atlantic Military Division of the Atlantic, was one of the military divisions of the U. S. Army created by GENERAL ORDERS No. 118. on June 27, 1865 at the end of the American Civil War. President Andrew Johnson directed that the United States was to be divid ...

and the same position with the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. ...

Spanish–American War

During the

, Hughes served in the

as a member of the staff of

, who commanded the Eighth Army Corps. He received promotion to brigadier general of

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

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 (Modern French ). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior c ...

for the city of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

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 The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. In addition, he was active in the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

, and the post in Buffalo, Pennsylvania was named for him.

Death and burial

In retirement, Hughes was a resident of the Overbrook neighborhood of

. He died at his home on October 27, 1909. Hughes was buried at

, his wife's hometown. In 1910,

Fort Hughes Fort Hughes was built by the Philippine Department of the U.S. Army on Caballo Island in the Philippines in the early 1900s. The fort, which part of the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays, was named for Major General Robert Patterson Hugh ...

, a

Coast Artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

post on

Caballo Island Caballo Island (which means "Horse Island" in Spanish) is a bluff, rocky island located at the entrance to Manila Bay in the Philippines. It is about long with the highest elevation at 381 feet high. Caballo, along with the larger Corregidor (2& ...

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

, was named for him. The site was an active U.S. Army post through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and is now controlled by the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

. 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