Robert Patterson Hughes

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. 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 Alfred Terry, who became his brother-in-law.

By the mid-1880s, Hughes had been promoted to major and began to serve in various commands as an inspector general. 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 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.

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 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.

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 as a private. He served through the end of the war and was discharged on June 28, 1865.

On February 19, 1885, Hughes was promoted to major and assigned as inspector general of the 3rd Infantry Regiment.

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. When a large fire threatened to consume the city in February 1899, Hughes led the army's response, and was officially commended by Otis. 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.

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 remnants of old fortifications and batteries are still visible, but the island is closed to the public. They had no children,