With the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, Hutchison was transferred to the Second Regiment of Infantry as Captain of Company D and served with distinction during that conflict.

After the war, he was discharged and returned to his home in Tennessee, where Governor Benton McMillin (in office 1899 to 1903) commissioned him as Captain of Company K of the Fifth Regiment.

[2] Concerned about the need to regulate cruelty to animals and to protect and care for the youth and children of the city, Hutchison went before the Legislature of Tennessee and his testimony resulted in a commission being created to address those issues.

Hutchison joined the commission resulting in concrete reforms in Nashville that targeted cruel drivers of animals and organized a Juvenile Court.

Hutchison was immediately commissioned a Major of Artillery in the Garibaldi Legion and joined the Greek Army during the First Balkan War.