John Aaron Rawlins - Biography

Biography

Born in Illinois, Rawlins practiced law there after being admitted to the bar in 1854. In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Rawlins met Ulysses S. Grant, who was raising a regiment from Galena to answer President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops. He initially served as a volunteer aide-de-camp, but at Grant's request, Rawlins joined the United States Army as a captain and assistant adjutant general under Grant's command. Rawlins remained with Grant throughout the war, in roles of increasing responsibility and rank, including Chief of Staff of the Army of the Tennessee and of the Military Division of the Mississippi. He was known for his great attention to detail, as well as being a stickler for proper protocol. He was promoted to brigadier general on August 11, 1863. When Grant was promoted to general in chief of all the Union armies, Rawlins became Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters of the United States Army. He was promoted to brevet major general on February 24, 1865, to brigadier general in the regular army March 3, and brevet major general in the regular army on April 9.

Rawlins remained with Grant even after the general was elected President, serving as Grant's first Secretary of War. However, Rawlins had contracted tuberculosis, and his failing health caused his term in office to be brief (March 11 – September 6, 1869). His doctors recommended that Rawlins go to Arizona, where the dry desert climate would allow him to live longer. Rawlins refused, wishing to stay at Grant's side as his Secretary of War. He died in Washington and was buried in Congressional Cemetery, but his remains were later relocated to Arlington National Cemetery.

A statue, General John A. Rawlins was erected in Washington, D.C. in 1874. The town of Rawlins, county seat of Carbon County, Wyoming, is named for him, as well as Rawlins County, Kansas.