Robert Patterson Hughes

Robert Patterson Hughes (11 April 1839 – 27 October 1909) was an American military officer.

Early life
He was born in Pennsylvania. He studied at Jefferson College in Canonsburg.

Career
At the onset of the American Civil War, he left college and enlisted with the 12th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He earned multiple promotions. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 11 October 1861, captain on 20 May 1862, and lieutenant-colonel on 7 December 1864. Finally, on 2 April 1865, he was brevetted colonel for gallant and distinguished service during the Union Army's assault on Fort Gregg, Virginia.

After the war, he entered the United States Army, and on 28 July 1866, he was appointed Captain in the 18th United States Infantry. During the Centennial Campaign of 1876, he served on the staff of his brother-in-law, Major General Alfred Terry, where he authored a critique of George Armstrong Custer's actions leading to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

On 19 February 1885 he was promoted to major and made inspector-general of the Third Infantry Division. While serving with that division, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 11 March 1885 and to colonel on 31 August 1888.

During the Spanish–American War, he was sent to the Philippine Islands with the Philippine Expeditionary Force, serving on the staff of Major-General Elwell Stephen Otis. He received several appointments there: brigadier-general of volunteers on 3 June 1898, chief of staff of the 8th Corps on 23 June 1898, and Provost Marshal General of the city of Manila and its suburbs on 3 September 1898. While in the post, Otis gave him official praise for his handling of the great fire in Manila. Hughes's tact and vigilance saved the capital from complete destruction. On 25 May 1900, he was appointed a member of the commission to treat with the insurrectionist forces in the Philippine Islands. On 25 May 1900, he was made commander of the Visayan Military District, and on 25 February 1901, he was elevated to brigadier-general in the United States Army.

After his return from the Philippines, he commanded the Army's Department of California. He was promoted to major-general on 1 April 1902, and reached the mandatory age of retirement on 11 April 1903.