THOMAS HUGHES
History of Arizona, 1896

Thomas Hughes was born with the heritage of a good name; 
his parents, although natives of Wales were for many years 
honored and respected citizens of this great Republic, yet 
Mr. Hughes owes the success that has crowned him not to his 
parents but to his own exertion and to his superior 
attainments.  

He was born in Allegheny City, Allegheny County, Penn., and 
is mainly self educated.  When about eleven years old he 
went to Kansas, the scene of border warfare at that time, 
and was a witness of all the trouble between the free state 
and pro slavery men. For about three years he worked at the 
machinist's trade with Kimball Brothers of Lawrence, Kansas 
and then as the Civil War broke out he enlisted as a private 
in Company D, First Regiment Kansas Volunteers, May 16, 1861.  
This was Jim Lain's old company and was the first organized in 
Kansas under the Lincoln call for 75,000 troops. Mr. Hughes 
served three years and two months with this regiment and was 
wounded in the right side at Wilson Creek August 10, 1861, 
but followed the army in its retreat to Rollo and St. Louis, 
Mo., fearing death if captured. He was in the hospital at 
Rollo and St. Louis for three months. Mr. Hughes participated 
in all the campaigns of the Army of the Tennessee, including 
Donnelson, Fort Henry, Shiloh and two battles of Corinth and 
campaigned through Central Mississippi in the winter of 1862 
and 1863 with Grant and Sherman.  During the Siege of 
Vicksburg he was very severely wounded in the left elbow.  
He enlisted in Company B., Seventeenth Kansas Volunteers in 
July 1864, and was mustered in as first sergeant.  This 
regiment was in the campaign against General Price in his 
last raid in Kansas in the summer and fall of 1864.  This 
regiment was enlisted for one hundred days only and our 
subject was mustered out with his regiment in December 1864.

He assisted in organizing six regiments of soldiers from 
rebel prisons to fight the Sioux and on the 1st of March 
1865, was appointed by the President 1st Lt. of Company G, 
Fifth Regiment U.S. Volunteers and commanded this company 
from that time until mustered out November 1866 at Fort 
Kearney, Nebraska.

Mr. Hughes was in the war against the Indians all this time 
and participated in the disastrous Powder River expedition 
of 1866 under General Connors. In this they lost their outfit, 
were severely handled by over 10,000 Sioux and suffered untold 
hardships during the retreat without food or sufficient 
clothing.  This retreat lasted for six weeks in northern 
blizzards on the Upper Powder River. 

Again Mr. Hughes was called into service at 1st Lt. and 
Regimental Quartermaster of the Eighteenth Regiment Kansas 
Cavalry, this being caused by the breaking out of the Indians 
in Western Kansas.  Some of the hardest fighting of the war 
was performed by the Eighteenth Kansas during the summer and 
fall of 1867 under the command of General Custer.  In the 
several battles with the Indians in which he participated 
the most severe was of three days duration when his command 
of 250 men lost forty two killed and wounded.  The Indians 
had over 3000 warriors. Mr. Hughes was brevetted major, lt-
Colonel and Colonel of Kansas Volunteers July 26, 1866 for 
meritorious services in the War of Rebellion and against the 
Indians.  He was mustered out December 24, 1867 at Fort 
Harker, Kansas.

Mr. Hughes came to Arizona as early as July 1868, and here 
was annoyed and bothered by the Indians to such an extent 
that ranching with him was but a farce for many years. On 
his ranch, near where Crittenden Station now is, twenty two 
men were killed and in the last encounter, out of four he 
was the only one to escape. Selling his ranch in 1882 he 
engaged in business in Tucson with W.E. Stevens, a nephew 
of Hiram S. Stevens, and for five years the firm title was 
Stevens and Company.  This was from 1882 till 1887.  Then 
from 1887 until 1893 the firm was Hughes, Stevens and Company 
but at the present time it is Thomas Hughes Hardware Company.

In the year 1884 Mr. Hughes was elected treasurer of Pima 
County and in 1889 was made Territorial Auditor, serving as 
such until the latter part of June 1893.

On the 3rd of November 1874 he was married to Miss Helena 
Martinez, and nine children blessed this union, seven sons 
and two daughters: Annie, Thomas E., William Samuel, Arthur, 
Ralph, David, John, Louis and Helena.  On the 17th of 
September 1893 Mrs. Hughes was killed by an adobe wall 
falling on her.  Aside from his mercantile interests Mr. 
Hughes is engaged in mining and has met with fair success.

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