Brig. Gen. John A. Rawlins

[jkBluesman]

Brig. Gen. John Aaron Rawlins (b. 1831, d. 1869). Rawlins never led troops into battle but as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s principal staff officer he served in the Western and Eastern theatre. Most important of all he kept Grant from drinking while on campaign. Rawlins was born in Galena, Illinois into a family that had originated in Virginia. When his father left for California in 1849 in the search for gold, the son became the family’s sole provider. Somehow he managed to study law in a local law office at the same time and was admitted to the bar in 1854. Three years later he became Galena’s city attorney. In the presidential election of 1860 he supported the Democrat Stephen Douglas. At the start of the Civil War he met Grant who made Rawlins his assistant adjutant general after becoming brigadier general himself. Although the new staff officer knew nothing about military matters he learned fast but he never became a master of logistics. With Grant’s support Rawlins rose to brigadier general of volunteers dating from August 11, 1863. When Grant became general-in-chief of all Union armies at the rank of lieutenant general, he created the position of chief of staff for his personal friend. At the end of the war, Rawlins was breveted major general in the regular army for the successful Appomattox campaign in April 1865. He stayed with Grant during Reconstruction and presidential campaign. As a reward Grant made him Secretary of War in 1869. However, Rawlins only stayed in office for six months before dying of tuberculosis. He was buried in Congressional Cemetery, later relocated to Arlington National Cemetery. Grant thanked him a last time for his service by describing Rawlins in his Personal Memoirs: “He was an able man, possessed of great firmness, and could say “no” so emphatically to a request which he thought should not be granted that the person he was addressing would understand at once that there was no use of pressing the matter”.

Ldr: 2
Tact: 1
Init: 2
Cmd: 0
Cav: 0

Teaches: Foragers

[Gil R.]

Copied.

[Gil R.]

It was this bio's shortness that drew me to it. This guy seems to be the least important general in the game, since there's no keep-Grant-from-drinking rating.

Brig. Gen. John Aaron Rawlins (b. 1831, d. 1869). Rawlins never led troops into battle but as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s principal staff officer he served in the Western and Eastern theatre. Most important of all, he kept Grant from drinking while on campaign. Rawlins was born in Galena, Illinois – a town that Grant would later make famous – into a family that had originated in Virginia. When his father left for California in 1849 in the search for gold, the son became the family’s sole provider. Somehow he managed to study law in a local law office at the same time and was admitted to the bar in 1854, three years later becoming Galena’s city attorney. In the presidential election of 1860 Rawlins supported the Democrat Stephen Douglas. At the start of the Civil War, Rawlins met Grant, who made Rawlins his assistant adjutant general after becoming brigadier general himself. Although the new staff officer knew nothing about military matters he learned fast, but never became a master of logistics. With Grant’s support, Rawlins rose to brigadier general of volunteers dating from August 11, 1863. When Grant became general-in-chief of all Union armies at the rank of lieutenant general, he created the position of chief of staff for his personal friend. At the end of the war, Rawlins was brevetted major general in the Regular Army for the successful Appomattox Campaign in April 1865. He stayed with Grant during Reconstruction and the presidential campaign of 1868, and was rewarded by Grant with an appointment as Secretary of War in 1869. However, Rawlins only stayed in office for six months before dying of tuberculosis. He was buried in Congressional Cemetery, and later relocated to Arlington National Cemetery. Grant thanked him a last time for his service by describing Rawlins in his Personal Memoirs: “He was an able man, possessed of great firmness, and could say ‘no’ so emphatically to a request which he thought should not be granted that the person he was addressing would understand at once that there was no use of pressing the matter.” (Bio by Joern Kaesebier)

Ldr: 2
Tact: 1
Init: 2
Cmd: 0
Cav: 0

Teaches: Foragers (17)

Start date: 62