John Porter Hatch

        John Porter Hatch was born at Oswego, New York, January 9, 1822, son of Moses Porter and Hannah (Reed) Hatch. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1840, and was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant with the 3rd Infantry on July 1, 1845. At the beginning of the Mexican War he served under General Zachary Taylor at Palo Alto, May 8, 1846, and Resaca de la Palma, May 9. He was then transferred to the Mounted Rifles for service under General Winfield Scott. At Contreras and Churubusco, August 19-20, 1847, he won a brevet to First Lieutenant and at Chapultepec on September 13 another brevet to Captain.

        On 28 September, 1861, Hatch was made brigadier-general of volunteers, and in December was placed in command of a brigade of cavalry at Annapolis, Maryland, under General King. He executed a series of daring raids on the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers and during March-August 1862 commanded the Cavalry of V Corps under General Nathaniel P. Banks in the Shenandoah Valley, taking part in the battle of Winchester.  He was then assigned to the Infantry and for a week was in command of General Joseph Hooker's I Corps until he was wounded while leading an attack under severe enemy fire at South Mountain, Maryland, on September 14. For gallantry there, he was brevetted Major General of Volunteers and received the Medal of Honor.

        Disabled by his injuries and unable to report for duty until 18 February, 1863, Hatch was then employed on courts-martial, assigned to command the draft rendezvous at Philadelphia, and given charge of the cavalry depot at St. Louis until 27 October, 1863, when he was made major of the 4th cavalry. He was in charge of operations on John's Island, South Carolina, in July 1864 and at Honey Hill in November and then cooperated closely with General William T. Sherman in the Georgia-Carolinas Campaign, while the latter was moving up the coast, and participating in several skirmishes.

        From 26 February to 26 August, 1865, he was in command of the Charleston district, Department of South Carolina. At the end of the war, by which time he had been brevetted Colonel and Brigadier General of regulars, he reverted to Major on being mustered out of the volunteer service and for the next 26 years served again on the Western frontier - in Texas, the Indian Territory, Montana, and Washington Territory . Hatch was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1873 and to Colonel of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in June 1881. He was compelled by law to retire on January 9, 1886, and lived in New York until his death on April 12, 1901. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.