UpdateBot at 17:09, 24 April 2022

2022-04-24T17:09:00Z

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[[Major-General]] '''Augustus Abbott''' (7 January 1804 – 25 February 1867) was an army officer in the [[British East India Company]]. He was the eldest of several prominent brothers. He served in various military campaigns including the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]]. He died at Cheltenham, to which he had retired, having been discharged from the army due to poor health.

==Early life==
Augustus Abbott was born in London and baptised on 10 March 1804 at [[St Pancras Old Church]], the eldest son of Henry Alexius Abbott, a retired [[Calcutta]] merchant of Blackheath, Kent,<ref>Biog. Of Henry Alexius Abbot per the obituaries of his prominent sons</ref> and his wife Margaret Welsh, the daughter of William Welsh of Edinburgh. He was educated by the Rev. John Faithfull at [[Warfield]], and at [[Winchester College]]. At the East India Company's [[Addiscombe Military Seminary]] (1818–19) he trained as an officer cadet.<ref name="ODNB">{{cite odnb |first=R. H. |last=Vetch |first2=Roger T. (reviewer) |last2=Stearn |title=Abbott, Augustus (1804–1867) |origyear=2004 |year=2010 |id=11 }}</ref>

==Military career==
In 1819, aged 15, Abbott sailed for [[India]], as [[second lieutenant]], and by 1835 had been made captain. He then served with distinction in the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] from 1838 to 1842, where he played an important part in the [[Battle of Jellalabad|siege of Jalalabad]].<ref name="ODNB"/>

Abbott was promoted to major in 1845, and then major-general in 1859; but earlier that year he had already been forced to return home due to poor health. He died in [[Cheltenham]] in 1867.<ref name="ODNB"/>

==Family==
Abbott had the following notable siblings:<ref name="ODNB"/>

* Major General Sir [[Frederick Abbott (Indian Army officer)|Frederick Abbott]], (1805–1892).
* General Sir [[James Abbott (Indian Army officer)|James Abbott]], (1807–1896).
* Major General [[Saunders Alexius Abbott]] (1811–1894).
* [[Keith Edward Abbott]], Consul General (1814–1873).

Abbott married, firstly, in 1835, Charlotte Corbyn Becher, daughter of Major Robert Becher and his wife Elizabeth. They had two daughters. She died in 1839.<ref name="ODNB"/>

In 1843 Abbott married, secondly, Sophia Frances Garstin, daughter of Captain John Garstin. The couple had four daughters and three sons. One of the sons, Col. Henry Alexis Abbott (b. 22 Jan. 1849), served in the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War]] (1878–1881).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8EcuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA81 Who's Who, Vol. 53, 1901 accessed 2 May 2011]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{DNB01 poster|Abbott, Augustus}}
*{{cite book |last=Abbot |first=Augustus |title=The Afghan War, 1838–1842: from the journal and correspondence of the late Major-General A. Abbott |editor-first=Charles Rathbone |editor-last=Low |editor-link=Charles Rathbone Low |place=London |publisher=R. Bentley & Son |year=1879 |url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/13482/view/1/2/}}
*{{Cite book |first=H. M. |last=Vibart |title=Addiscombe: its heroes and men of note |place=Westminster |publisher=Archibald Constable |year=1894 |pages=337–43 |ol=23336661M }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Augustus}}
[[Category:1804 births]]
[[Category:1867 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from London]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchester College]]
[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]

Augustus Abbott - Revision history

UpdateBot at 17:09, 24 April 2022