The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-02-09
new NEWS Of YESTERDAY
How Grant Came to Make HE
First Speech. /;
Persuaded by Rawilns, He Addressso.
Meeting Near oalsna 70 Re-
esuit Company After. the
/ Attack, on. Sumter.
sy E. ]. EpWARps.

A. Rawlins secretary of war. Shortly
after he had become a major OF
q volunteer Illinois regiment tn the
first year Of the civil war, Rawlins rel
signed that post in order to assume
the duties Of assistant adjutant gen.
eral on General Grants stan. From
then ON until the close Of the war!
Rawhns served on Grants stan. he
was the youngest of all the men VINO
served with the great commander. ouu
nsverths3sss, he was one Of Grants
CLOSEST advisers in military matters1
He also was his chiefs intimate.
friend; and 1t was most natural foa
Grant, when he knew for a certainty
that he would be called upon to make
up q cabinet, to turn to General Raw.
ilins az the one man to I'LL the once
OF secretary Of a But that post
General Rawlins occupied for a few
months only. He had contracted CON
sumption as the result Of exposure
during the war, and in September.
1859, he died:
One afternoon In 1901 l met the late
General A. c. Chetlain. then Of CHI
cago, who, as a resident of Galena,
nl.. in 1861, had enlisted in the nrst
company Of volunteers that left Grants
home town in defense of the Union. ]
asked General Chetlatn II he nao
known well General Rawlins. who Wal
a resident of Galena at the time OF
the a
Indeed 1 did," was the reply. and
i remember we'll the intimacy that
existed between him and Grant prior
to the outbreak Of the war. have
only to shut my eyes now and see
them in memory az they sit together
in Grants fathers leather store earn.
estly discussing political questions.
and, most earnestly Of all, the n
great question Of the day-would there
be war between north and south?
but though they often differed on
other questions, on the question Of the
possibility of war they were fully.
agreed; and Of all the men who gath1
cred in the leather store from time to
time to talk the matter over they were
the only two who felt that war was
surely coming and that 1t would be
a prolonged struggle. Rawltns thought
that 1t would take Is much as i've
years to overcome the south. while
Grant would declare that no n could
tell how long It would take to do that,
And then they would have a time of ft
trying to convince their fellow citi1
xens that they were wrong in the BEL
lief that, II war did come. the north
would be able to subdue the south in
80 days-an opinion commonly held
throughout the north at that time. (.
And well I remember. too" contin1
ued General Chetlain, that 1t was
Rawlins who persuaded Grant to make
the first speech he ever delivered. :
''As BOOT a. We had received the
news that Fort Sumter had been fired
on, l Immediately began to recruit our
first Galena company, Of which I
was elected captain, and with which
Grant went from 0alena to Springfield,
the state capital, where the company
vas mustered in. It vas thought
worth while to have somebody 90 to q
little suburb Of Galena, some three or
four miles beyond the city limits, and
make q speech that would urge the
young farmers round about to enlist in
our company. Rawlins was well known
and liked in that community, and I
asked him II he would undertake this
task. He replied that he would BE-
glad to do 90. adding, 40 an after
thought, that he'd take Captain Grant
with him. =
well. at the appointed time Raw
Inns and Captain Grant drove out to|
the suburb, and Rawlins told me after
wards that he made q brief speech,
and then introduced Captain Grant,
saying that the captain had already
served in the United States army in|
Mexico and was therefore more compe1
tent than any civilian to address .
meeting called to secure recruits. 'You|
know how backward the captain 10 sx1
cept before his friends,' said Rawlins,l
Well, without the slightest hesitation!
he stood upon the rostrup and made 4
very plain and simple. but earnest
speech, about is minutes in length.
After he had. finished four OF. i've of
the farmer boys came forward and
said that they would. on the following
day. come, to our recruiting once IN
!Galena and enlist ::
80 1t was John Rawlins who in,
duced Grant to make .hts nrst; speech:
.-a.l> -A. N~A>A1. ~