Charles Wheaton Abbot Jr. was an American military officer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was commander of the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Regiment during the Spanish–American War 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 and the First World War.
Early life
Abbot was born in Warren, Rhode Island 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 and Annie Frances Smith Abbot. He was also the grandson of Commodore Joel Abbot, a veteran of the War of 1812 who accompanied Commodore Matthew C. Perry on the expedition to open Japan in 1853. He was a descendant of Brigadier General Nathan Miller who was an officer in the Rhode Island Militia during the American Revolution.
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 in 1883. On June 5, 1884 he married Marcia Ransom in Norwich, Connecticut. From 1889 to 1893 he served as the regimental adjutant for the 12th Infantry at Fort Yates in the Dakota Territory. 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 returned to the 12th Infantry. From April to December 1899 he was stationed with his regiment at Luneta Barracks in Manila in the Philippine Islands. In August 1903 he was promoted to major and reassigned to the 25th Infantry Regiment at Washington Barracks in the District of Columbia. 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 First World War 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. He also oversaw the establishment of the Rhode Island State Guard - a state military force which assumed the functions of the National Guard while the National Guard was in Federal service.
General Abbot died at his home in Warren, Rhode Island on November 29, 1923. He is buried in the Abbot family tomb in the South Burial Ground in Warren.
