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Rh try, August 13, 1894, and was transferred to the 20th United States infantry September 15, 1894. He was commandant of the infantry and cavalry school of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 1894-98, and on the outbreak of the Spanish-American war in 1898 he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, May 4, 1898, and he commanded the brigade which led the assault on Fort San Juan, July 1, 1898. He was promoted to the rank of major-general of volunteers, July 8, 1898, and on September 8 of the same year he was promoted in the regular army to brigadier-general, and he was placed upon the retired list in the regular army, October 8, 1898, after forty years' service. He declined brevets during the Civil war; as captain, July 2, 1863, for Gettysburg; major, October 11, 1865, for services during the war. He was elected a companion of the first class in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and was a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States; the Society of the Army of Santiago; the Society of American Wars; the Infantry Association and the National Geographic Society. He was married December 3, 1868, to Annie, daughter of Andrew C. and Elizabeth (Scofield) Gray of New Castle, Delaware, and of the five children born to them three were living in 1905. He took no part in politics. He is a member of the Episcopal church. He found military history, military biography and works upon strategy and tactics his most helpful reading. He holds that true success must have the approval of one's conscience; feels that his father's death prevented his having any one to start him right; and that his original capacity was good enough, but that the idea of correct analysis was not awakened in him for some years, and during these years and in consequence of his lethargy, he formed a poor opinion of his own ability and "found plenty of people ready to agree with this estimate." In later years he proved to himself that he could master mathematics or any other analytic study.

General Hawkins' career in the army, notwithstanding its unpromising beginning as a cadet, shows that when once determination to succeed takes possession of boy or man, inherent capacity will come to his aid and he will gain the goal, in spite of previous indifference or the doleful prophecy of pessimistic friends.