William Starke
Rosecrans was born near Taylor Run in Kingston Township on
September 6, 1819. He graduated from the United States Military
Academy in 1842, fifth in his class of 56 cadets, which included
notable future generals, such as James Longstreet, D.H. Hill
and Abner Doubleday. The Army assigned him to duty as an engineer,
working on the fortifications at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Later he served as an instructor at West Point and at various
other stations in the New England area. Rosecrans resigned
from the Army in 1854, moving into civil engineering. He took
over a mining business in what is now known as West Virginia,
successfully running it while making many inventions that
include odorless oil and a more effective method of manufacturing
soap.
When the Civil
War began he served as a volunteer aide-de-camp to George
B. McClellan, later promoted to Colonel he took command of
the 23rd Ohio Infantry whose members included future presidents,
Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley. After a notable
military career and receiving a brevet promotion to the rank
of Major General, he again resigned from the Army in 1867.
From 1868 to
1869, Rosecrans served as U.S. Minister to Mexico until President
Ulysses S. Grant replaced him. Rosecrans then returned to
the mining business in Mexico and California. He was elected
to the U.S. Congress as a representative from California,
serving from 1881 to 1885 and was appointed as a registrar
for the U.S. Treasury serving from 1885 to 1893. He died March
11, 1898 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Fort
Rosecrans National Cemetery, outside San Diego, California
is named in his honor. A modest memorial was erected in 1940
on the site of his birthplace and childhood home. The large
boulder surrounded by a wrought iron fence holds a plaque
in memoriam and rests along side the road that bears his last
name in Kingston Township.
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