George Hatch was a Democratic politician, who served as Mayor of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio, during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1863. In late spring 1862, Cincinnati city officials recognized the threat of an attack from Confederate forces under the command of Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan, who was riding northward through Kentucky apparently intent on crossing the Ohio River into Indiana and/or Ohio. Numerous militia groups had been organized, but the threat of nearly 2,000 veteran cavalrymen riding into downtown Cincinnati prompted Mayor George Hatch to release a proclamation calling out the local citizenry into action for the defense of Cincinnati.