Rush Hawkins

Infobox Military Person
name=Rush Hawkins
born= birth date|1831|9|14
died= death date and age|1920|10|25|1831|9|14
placeofbirth=Pomfret, Vermont
placeofdeath=New York City, New York
placeofburial=


caption=Colonel Rush Hawkins
nickname=
allegiance=United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=1846 – 1847; 1861 – 1863
rank=Brevet Brigader General
commands=9th New York Infantry
unit=
battles=American Civil War *Battle of Antietam
awards=
laterwork= politics

Rush Christopher Hawkins (September 14, 1831 – October 25, 1920) was a lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, politician, book collector, and art patron.

Early life

Hawkins was born in Pomfret, Vermont to Lorenzo Dow Hawkins and Maria Louisa (Hutchinson) Hawkins. At age 15, Hawkins enlisted in the 2nd United States dragoons for service in the Mexican-American War. After the war, he settled in New York City where he studied law.

Hawkins married Annmary Brown in 1860; she died in 1906 of pneumonia.

Civil War

In 1861, Hawkins helped raise the 9th New York Infantry, a Zouave-styled regiment, popularly known as "Hawkins Zouaves" for service in the Civil War. Hawkins was appointed colonel of the regiment on May 4, 1861 and served with distinction throughout the war, until he mustered out with the regiment on May 20, 1863. On April 19, 1862, at the battle of Camden, North Carolina, Hawkins was wounded, but soon returned to service. The regiment saw their greatest casualties at the Battle of Antietam. The regiment entered the battle with 373 men and lost 45 killed, 176 wounded, and 14 missing in action--63% their total strength.

Later life

In 1872, Hawkins served briefly in the New York legislature. He also became a noted--and certainly obsessive--rare book collector, having started shortly before the Civil War. He amassed a collection of 225 incunabula; his goal was to have the first and second books from every European printer before 1501. Remarkably, he was able to acquire 130 of the 238 known fifteenth century European printers. In 1990, the book collection was moved from the Annmary Brown Memorial at Brown University and transferred to the John Hay Library.

Hawkins and his wife were also avid art collectors and created an excellent collection of 19th century American art. Hawkins was appointed Assistant to the Commissioner General for the United States Commission to the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, France. Hawkins was "Commissaire Expert des Beaux Arts" and was responsible for selecting and organizing American art works for the exhibition. Hawkins feuded with James McNeill Whistler, who removed all of his work in protest and later wrote "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" (1890), which in-part details his experiences with Hawkins.

While attempting to cross the street in front of his home at 42 5th Avenue in New York City, Hawkins was struck by an automobile and died from his injuries. He is buried with his wife in a crypt at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

External links

*findagrave|8383030 Retrieved on 2008-02-12
* [http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library/libs/amb.html Annmary Brown Memorial at Brown University]
* [http://library.morrisville.edu/local_history/sites/unitinfo/hawkins.html "New York Times" Obituary, October 26, 1920]