Charles Wheaton Abbot Jr. (July 8, 1860 – November 29, 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 The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

who accompanied Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

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 (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

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, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

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

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

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

Fort Yates Fort 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, a ...

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 ...

.National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. XX, pg. 211. 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, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

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, also historically known as the Washington Arsenal, is a United States Army post located on the tip of Buzzard Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C ...

in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. 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. 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. 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 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 Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

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 military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

, Regular Army and Navy Union,

General Society of the War of 1812 The General Society of the War of 1812, commonly known as the Society of the War of 1812, is a patriotic organization headquartered in Aberdeen, New Jersey. It was organized in 1814 at Baltimore. History Background The Society of the War o ...

Society of Colonial Wars The General Society of Colonial Wars is a patriotic 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, d ...

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 early ...

and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

. 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 The Sons of the Revolution (SR), formally the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR), is a patriotic organization headquartered at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. A nonprofit corporation, the Sons of the Revolution was foun ...

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 p ...

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 A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

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 Military personnel from Rhode Island People from Warren, Rhode Island United States Army generals of World War I