Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-09-16

amount of money to enable him to attend
the Mt. Morris Seminary, situated in Ogle
county in this State, FOR about year. He
also studied at the Platteville Seminary, in
Wisconsin. In 1855 ne commenced
the study of law in Galena, in the office
| of |. p. Stevens, and subsequently,
! after having been admitted to practice,
became partner of that gentleman. He
afterwards formed partnership with Mr.
| David Sheehan 1t was while practiCing
| law at Galena, and when Fort Sumter,
I was attacked, that Mr. Rawlins made
a speech which not only directed public
attention in the State to him, but
which also probably caused Gen.
Grant to first cleave to him as a
man upon whom he could lean, and
whom he saw possessed abilities Of no
mean order. 1t is proper to say that, in
politics, Gen. Rawlins was an ardent
Douglas Democrat; and it was essential to
the success of our arms and to the unifica-
| ton Of Northern sentiment on the subject
of the prosecution of the war that such
men should be on the Union side. Indeed
it was, to great extent, to this very class
| of persons and politicians to whom Presi-
dent Lincoln looked at that time, in order
that the North should present an UNI
divided front to the foe.
Gen. RawlinS among others, urgently
pressed the services OF Gen. Grant upon
Coy. Yates, to fill any position in the
army, and they were finally accepted, and
Grant appointed to the colonelcy of the
Twenty-first Illinois regiment. He was
1,,, 1,r L. prifr NV
dent Lincoln, and took command of that
portion of the Western army then organ
izing at Cairo.
After Gen. Grant received the appoint
ment, he sent for Gen Rawlins and made
him his Assistant Adjutant General From
that period until the death Of his friend,
on Monday last the two never parted
company. Gen Rawlins shared with Gen.
Grant in the glories of the great campaign,
They were together in the disastrous
affair at Belmont; on the bloody field Of
Shiloh, where they both slept together on
the same bundle of straw at night. They
toiled and waited, and wrestled and rested,
by turns, in front of the frowning batteries
of Vicksburg. When Gen Grant took the
command of the army of the Potomac,
Nav HIS dCCoHi painful lillll1 SlldilHS
in the perils and the dangers
of every bloody battlefield, from the
Wilderness to Appomattox Court
House; all the time aiding him with his
counsel and cheering him with his pres
ence and by his indomitable strength of
will holding up the hands and strengthen
ing the heart Of his beloved commander
and esteemed friend And Grant always
appreciated and always stood up for Raw
Inns.
After the conclusion of the war; Gen.
Rawlins took no active part in poll
tics. On the occasion of his visiting his
native city in June, 1867, however, he de-
livered a speech defining his position, and,
in fact virtually opening the political cam
paign which ended with the election of
Gen Grant to the Presidency.
The position held by Gen. Rawlins at
his death was that of Secretary of War in
Gen. Grants Cabinet. As a military sec
rotary Gen. Rawlinspossessed rare qualif-
cations. He was patient in temper, unob-
trusiVe in manner, and reserved in speech
He was also man of great industry, of
most energetic qualities; all, above
all, instinctively and mtutively possessed
Of high moral principles and ideas. In
losing him Gen. Grant loses a trusted and
trusty friend, an able counsellor, and
most disinterested adviser. He can scarcely
replace such man, especially at the pres
ent juncture.
Gen. Rawlins was twice married. His
present wife is native of Connecticut
The General formed her acquaintance at
the South, where she was engaged in teach
ing school. He has always lived in very
plain and transformations manner. In fact,
the Generals circumstances have always
been so straitened, and being possessed
with an ardent desire to give his children
that education of which he was unfortu-
nately deprived in early life himself, he
could not afford even to keep up that
style of living in Washington which is
supposed to be necessary in order 10 keep
up proper social status on the part of a
Cabinet officer. But even in this respect
he exhibited the natural noble virtue of
the man, who regards duty as higher than
all other considerations.
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