Cromwell was a native of the Truxno region of Union Parish. He attended college at the University of Tennessee and taught school all over Union Parish. Politically associated with and a friend of Judge Thomas C. Lewis, III, Dawkins founded the "North Louisiana Appeal" in 1881 to compete with Judge Trimble's "Gazette" after Lewis fled Union Parish for the protection of his family in 1879. After publishing his paper for about three years, in June 1884 Dawkins ceased publication, sold his printing equipment to Lewis (who had returned to Farmerville), and returned to teaching school. Dawkins lived in Marion in 1885, when Lewis repeated referred to him as "Colonel Dawkins"; we have no evidence of a military career, however.

     Dawkins served as a delegate from Union Parish to the State Democratic Convention in 1883 and held various other public service positions in Union Parish between 1882 and 1884. The United States government recommended Dawkins as the U.S. Consul at Calais or Rouen in July 1885.

      Dawkins married Jessie Thompson (27 Nov 1861 – 25 Jan 1946) on 23 December 1886 in Union Parish. They were buried in the Monroe City Cemetery.