John Aaron Rawlins (February 13, 1831 – September 6, 1869) was an United States Army general during the American Civil War, a confidant of Ulysses S. Grant, and later U.S. Secretary of War.
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 ini...
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John Aaron Rawlins (February 13, 1831 – September 6, 1869) was an United States Army general during the American Civil War, a confidant of Ulysses S. Grant, and later U.S. Secretary of War.
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 and was known for his great attention to detail, as well as being a stickler in proper protocol. He was promoted to brigadier general on August 11, 1863. When Grant was...
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