★ Rawlins, John A.

John Aaron Rawlins​

Born: February 13, 1831

Birthplace: Galena, Illinois

Father: James Dawson Rawlins 1801 – 1893

(Buried: Scales Mound Township Cemetery, Scales, Illinois)​

Mother: Lovisa Jane Collier 1803 – 1891

(Buried: Scales Mound Township Cemetery, Scales, Illinois)​

1st​ Wife: Emily Smith 1833 – 1861

(Buried: Wallkill Cemetery, Phillipsburg, New York)​

2nd​ Wife: Mary Emeline "Emma" Hurlburt 1840 – 1874

(Buried: Wooster Cemetery, Danbury, Connecticut)​

Children:

Mary Rawlins​

(Buried: Wooster Cemetery Danbury Connecticut)​

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James Bradner Rawlins 1857 – 1917​

(Buried: Wallkill Cemetery Phillipsburg New York)​

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Jane Lovisa "Jennie" Rawlins Holman 1858 – 1941​

(Buried: Wallkill Cemetery Phillipsburg New York)​

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Emily Smith Rawlins Wait 1860 – 1897​

(Buried: Wallkill Cemetery Phillipsburg New York)​

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Willie Rawlins 1867 – 1867​

(Buried: Wooster Cemetery Danbury Connecticut)​

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Violet Rawlins 1869 – 1869​

(Buried: Wooster Cemetery Danbury Connecticut)​

Signature:

Education:

Attended Rock River Seminary for 1 year and a half

Occupation before War:

Attorney in Illinois

1860: Supporter of Stephen A. Douglas for President​

Civil War Career:

1861: Made a Galena, Illinois Union Loyalty Speech​

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1861: Helped organize the 45th​ Illinois Infantry Regiment​

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1862: Captain and Assistant Adjutant General to Grant​

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1862: Major in Union Army and Staff Officer​

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1862: Petitioned for the release of Sheean​

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1862 – 1863: Lt. Colonel in the Union Army, and Staff Officer​

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Chief of Staff of the Union Army of Tennessee​

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Chief of Staff of the Military Division of the Mississippi​

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1863 – 1865: Brigadier General, Union Army Volunteers​

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1863: Emissary for General Grant in Washington, D.C.​

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1864 – 1869: Chief of Staff of General Headquarters for U.S. Army​

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1865: Brevetted to the rank of Major General​

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1865 – 1869: Brigadier General, United States Army​

Occupation after War:

1864 – 1869: Chief of Staff of General Headquarters for U.S. Army​

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1865 – 1869: Brigadier General United States Army​

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1865 – 1869: Suffered from the effects of Tuberculosis​

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1867: Accompanied General Dodge on his expedition​

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1869: United States Secretary of War Department​

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1869: Approved the Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge​

Died: September 6, 1869

Place of Death: Washington, D.C.

Cause of Death: Hemorrhage of the lungs

Age at time of Death: 38 years old

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

 

[Pollaco]

Grant referred to him as "most nearly indispensable".

 

[Pollaco]

Grant referred to him as "most nearly indespendible".

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy weekend (February 13th) Birthday Brig. General John A. Rawlins! Salutes remembering General Rawlins on his birthday weekend.

 

[Luke Freet]

Rawlins and Cyrus Comstock were Grant's two principal staff officers for much of his career. Rawlins' side-job was to prevent Grant from getting too much alcohol in his system. In the 1864 campaign, it seems he was arguing with Grant against making direct assaults on Lee's entrenched lines, but Comstock won out with his more aggressive advice.

 

[ErnieMac]

Rawlins traveled west with Grenville Dodge along the future route of the Union Pacific Railroad. He hoped the drier air of the plains would help cure his tuberculosis (it didn't). Dodge would name one of their camp sites Camp Rawlins which eventually morphed into the city of Rawlins WY.

 

[ErnieMac]

Rawlins opposed Grant's issuing General Orders No. 11 (expulsion of Jews from Grant's military district). Grant issued the order anyway.

 

[Pollaco]

Rawlins received the last regular army brigadier's star during the war when a new office was created.That office was brigadier and chief of staff to the General Headquarters of the United States Army.This probably would have been in March 1865.

 

[Pollaco]

From September 14, 1861 to his death in 1869 Rawlins remained by Grant's side except for the leave of absence he took in the fall of 1862 to help free his law Partner David Sheean.Sheean was an outspoken critic of Lincoln and was being held without charges at Fort Lafayette, New York.