Charles Wheaton Abbot Jr. (1860–1923) (sometimes misspelled as "Abbott") was an American military officer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was commander of the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and served as Adjutant General of Rhode Island from 1911 until his death in 1923. He was also a veteran of the Indian Wars,

Philippine Insurrection The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life

Abbot was born in

Warren, Rhode Island Warren is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2020 census. History Warren was the site of the Pokanoket Indian settlement of Sowams located on a peninsula within the Pokanoket region. The reg ...

, on July 8, 1860. He was the son of Rear Admiral Charles Wheaton Abbot Sr., who had served as a pay director in the U.S. Navy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and Annie Frances Smith Abbot. He was also the grandson of Commodore Joel Abbot, a veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

who accompanied Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

on the expedition to open Japan in 1853. He was also a descendant of Brigadier General Nathan Miller who was an officer in the Rhode Island Militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

Military career

In 1881 Abbot received a commission in the 12th Infantry as a 2nd lieutenant. Early in his career his postings were mostly in New York and in the Dakotas. He graduated the Infantry and Cavalry School at

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

, in 1883. On June 5, 1884, he married Marcia Ransom in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

. From 1889 to 1893 he served as the regimental adjutant for the 12th Infantry at

Fort Yates Yates is a city in Sioux County, North Dakota, United States. It is the tribal headquarters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and county seat of Sioux County. Since 1970 the population has declined markedly from more than 1,100 residents, as peo ...

in the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

. He was commissioned as colonel of the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry in May 1898. On June 9, 1898, the board of managers of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution voted to present Colonel Abbot with a sword and belt. The regiment, nicknamed the "Rough Walkers", was posted in South Carolina and Virginia and was mustered out of service on March 30, 1899, without seeing overseas service. After his discharge from the Volunteers, Abbot reverted to his permanent rank of captain and returned to the 12th Infantry. From April to December, 1899 he was stationed with his regiment at Luneta Barracks in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

in the Philippine Islands. In August 1903 he was promoted to major and reassigned to the 25th Infantry Regiment at

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chann ...

in the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. He remained there until his retirement from the Regular Army for disability in October 1904. After Abbot's retirement from the Army, he returned to Rhode Island and became the military advisor to the Rhode Island Militia. His primary responsibilities were to inspect units of the Rhode Island Militia and to make recommendations to increase their efficiency.

Adjutant General of Rhode Island

In January 1911, Abbot was appointed the Adjutant General of Rhode Island, and was concurrently promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He held that position until his death in 1923. As adjutant general, he oversaw the mobilization of Rhode Island National Guard units during the

and the implementation of the Selective Service Act. From September 1917 until the end of the war, he served as the professor of military science at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. He also oversaw the establishment of the

Rhode Island State Guard The Rhode Island State Guard is the currently inactive state defense force of Rhode Island. As a state defense force, the Rhode Island State Guard served as a state military unit which assumed the stateside duties of the Rhode Island National Guar ...

– a state military force which assumed the functions of the National Guard while the National Guard was in Federal service.

Honors

General Abbot served as Chief Scout of the

Rhode Island Boy Scouts The Rhode Island Boy Scouts (RIBS), was an early American Scouting organization that split off from the American Boy Scouts in 1910 and merged with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1917. RIBS still exists as a trustee organization. History The ...

from March 12, 1911, to March 10, 1912. He was awarded a Master of Arts degree from

in 1922.

Death

General Abbot died at his home in

, on November 29, 1923.

Memberships

Abbot belonged to several military and hereditary societies. He served for one year as the commander of the Rhode Island Department of the Sons of Veterans in 1897. On October 18, 1891, he was admitted to the Rhode Island Society of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

and served as it president from 1915 to 1916. He was also a member of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

, Regular Army and Navy Union,

General Society of the War of 1812 The General Society of the War of 1812 is an American non-profit corporation and charitable organization of male descendants of American veterans of the War of 1812. The General Society was founded on January 9, 1854, at the Congress Hall in ...

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in earl ...

and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

.National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. XX, pg. 211. Photos of General Abbot taken while he was Adjutant General of Rhode Island show him wearing the insignias of several of these organizations in addition to his military medals. In addition to the above organizations, he was also eligible to join the

Sons of the Revolution Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Willia ...

Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and pr ...

Order of the Indian Wars of the United States The Order of the Indian Wars of the United States (OIWUS) is a military society founded in 1896 by officers of the United States Army who served in campaigns against Native Americans from the American Revolution to the late 19th century. Histo ...

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

Naval and Military Order of the Spanish War The Naval and Military Order of the Spanish War was a short lived military society formed by American officers who had served during the Spanish–American War. History The Naval and Military Order of the Spanish-American War (NMOSAW) was founded ...

Military Order of the Carabao The Military Order of the Carabao is a social club open to officers of the U.S. military and war correspondents who served in the Philippines or on overseas official military campaigns. The order was initially created to satirize the pompous and ...

and the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

Military awards

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

Spanish War Service Medal The Spanish War Service Medal was a United States military medal of the U.S. Army which was established by an act of the U.S. Congress on 9 July 1918 (40 Stat. 873). The medal recognizes those members of the Army and of the U.S. Volunteers who per ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 and 1913. Although a single service medal, the Philippin ...

* Victory Medal * Rhode Island Militia Service Medal * Rhode Island Spanish War Service Medal * Rhode Island "Rough Walker" Medal (unofficial)

Dates of rank

Source – ''United States Army Register'', 1923. pg. 1063.

References

External links

* Online biographical sketch of Charles Wheaton Abbot Jr. – http://www.oocities.org/suvcwricamp21/cwabbot.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbot, Charles Wheaton Jr. 1860 births 1923 deaths 19th-century United States Army personnel American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American militia generals Brown University alumni Brown University faculty Burials in Rhode Island Military personnel from Rhode Island People from Warren, Rhode Island United States Army generals of World War I