General Sir James Abbott (12 March 18076 October 1896) was a British Bengal Army officer and colonial administrator. The city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, was founded by and subsequently named after him.
Family history Among the founders of the Levant Company in 1581 was Morris Abbott which with Royal sanction dominated trade with the Levant. Ancestors of James Abbott travelled to the east as merchants of this company. On his paternal side Abbott had Armenian, Greek and Italian ancestry, his father Henry Abbott was born in Pera Constantinople on 16 October 1764, the son of Jasper Abbott and Kyrioki Athanasius Abbott. His paternal grandmother being the daughter of Reverend Athanasius of the Greek Orthodox church in Constantinople. At four years old Henry moved to Ankara for a while where the family had property. James Abbott would write in his journals that, like himself, his father was multilingual - able to speak Turkish, Italian, French and Latin.
In 1783, Henry Abbott who had been based in Aleppo found his career beginning to face increasing difficulties, the French were dominating trade in the region and the Levant Company was declining in fortune as a result of this Henry left Aleppo in July 1784 for Calcutta.
Early life According to the 1881 census, Abbott was born in Blackheath, Kent - while the 1891 census records he was born in Greenwich, Kent. Part of Blackheath lies within the parish of Greenwich but no specific town or village is specified in either of the censuses. No parish or regional records list a "James Abbott" born in London in 1807, however there is a record of a "James Abbott" who was born in 1807 in India and who died in 1896.
James Abbott was the third son of Henry Alexius Abbott, a retired merchant of Blackheath,Biog. Of Henry Alexius Abbot per the obituaries of his prominent sons and wife Margaret Welsh, the daughter of William Welsh of Edinburgh. He was one of eleven siblings, a number of whom like himself went on to achieve distinction, his brothers Augustus, Frederick and Saunders in the military while Keith became a diplomat.
Abbott was educated Eliot Place School in Eliot Place, Blackheath - the original site is now abandoned having been moved to its current location in 1872. One notable alumnus that Abbott studied alongside at this school was future UK Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. In 1821, at the age of fourteen years old, Abbott began his studies at the East India Company Military Seminary in Addiscombe, Surrey as a cadet for the Regiment of Artillery. . Abbott's brother Frederick had joined the Seminary the previous year as a cadet, finishing his studies in 1822 - while James studied there until 1823. During his time there Abbott learned Hindustani as taught by John Shakespear, Shakespear while able to teach grammar was unable to speak the language.
In June 1823 he passed his studies, successfully graduating in artillery and went back to his mother's cottage in Somerset before beginning a six month voyage to Calcutta alongside his brother Frederick and sister Emma in September 1823.
Early career in India Abbott was commissioned as a cadet in the Bengal Artillery at the age of sixteen, arriving in India in 29 December 1823. James and his brother Frederick would spend six months in Fort William before moving to the town of Dum Dum that was at that time a separate town to Calcutta and the headquarters of the Bengal Artillery. While there the First Anglo-Burmese War broke out, Frederick volunteered to take part while James stated behind. It was also here that Abbott became reacquainted with D’Arcy Todd who would go on to be a close friend. In October 1824, three native regiments at Barrackpore were ordered to prepare to march for war in Burma, in November a mutiny broke out as the troops had various grievances about their orders Abbott had "tried hard for permission to join the Battery" to put down the mutiny but had been denied, Shortly after the end of the mutiny the 1st Battery of Foot Artillery of the Bengal Artillery received orders to be relocated, Abbott had orders to go to Agra. While travelling in convey near to Baruipur Abbott obtained permission from Major Glenshaw for leave so he could visit his sisters Emma, Clementine and Clementine's husband James Elphinstone who lived in the town. After his month's leave was over he continued his journey, in May 1825 he arrived in Agra where he met up with his eldest brother Augustus who had already been stationed there - both men were artillery officers in the Bengal Army.
He first saw action at the Siege of Bharatpur in 1826 under the command of his older brother Augustus, where British forces were besieging a great Jat fortress. Augustus was a captain in an artillery regiment of the Bengal Army, whereas James was a Second lieutenant serving in the 3rd Company. On the 28th of September 1827 he was promoted to First Lieutenant in the Bengal Artillery and made adjutant to the Sirhind division of British artillery. During this period he saw little action, and between 1835 and 1836 was assigned to the revenue surveys in Gorakhpur and later Bareilly.Nicholas Storey, Great British Adventurers, 2012, Casemate Publishers, page 30 Records from 1837 show Abbott being part of the revenue survey while his older brother Augustus Abbott was a captain in the same regiment. In June 1838 he was promoted to brevet captain.
The Great Game
In November 1838, Abbott served in the army of Sir John Keane, who had been tasked with supporting Shah Shuja Durrani in his bid to wrest power from Dost Mohammad Khan in Afghanistan. The British had been eager to secure Afghanistan, the gateway to India, in light of increasing Russian influence in Central Asia.
In 1839 the British learned that Russia was planning an invasion of the Khanate of Khiva, Major Elliott D'Arcy Todd received intelligence from Khiva that 100,000 "fighting men" were in Kuzzauk country. In December 1839 acting Captain Abbott was sent from Herat to Khiva in an attempt to negotiate the release of Russian slaves and thereby deny the Russians a pretext for invasion. If war had already broken out, Abbott was instructed to attempt to negotiate a settlement. On the 24th of December Abbott left Herat, however shortly after leaving he had to halt at a village near to tomb of the poet Jami where he said he "was hospitably entertained by a descendant of the poet". The next day Abbott left the village in the morning and travelled to Purwana which lies 11 miles away from Herat in a high valley, Abbott noted how the village was "depopulated" due to the activities of the Jumsheedees apparently with the blessing of Vuzeer Yar Muhummud Khaun. The people of the areas were Tajiks who Abbott says "received and entertained me very hospitably", escorting Abbott on his journey was Peer Muhummud Khaun who was a relative of the vizier. Peer Muhummud was the commander of five horsemen that accompanied Abbott from Herat - this number increasing to fifteen when they reached Punj Deeh. As Abbott could understand Persian he wrote he was "deep conversation with him" when the had the opportunity to speak to him during the journey. After crossing the mountain ridge of Kytoo (Koh‑i‑Khushk), Abbott travelled to Khooshk which he described as "the capital of the Jumsheedees", Peer Muhummud had advised to travel to this settlement which he arrived at on the 27th of December.
Abbott described how previously Khooshk had been attacked by the Persians and the Jumsheedees appeared to have fled without taking advantaged of the terrain to harass the Persians, thus losing land and resources. Abbott also noted that the reception he received at Khooshk was cool, he suspected that this was at the instigation of Peer Muhummud Khaun. Abbott briefly met the Jumsheedee chief - Mahomed Zemaun Khaun who departed after a brief discussion. Abbott was glad to leave Khooshk which he described as the "den of inhospitality", he noted that upon successfully mounting his horse at departure his Meerza shouted "Ullah Kurreem" while his Steward Summud Khaun replied "Shookkur" Abbott wrote that he replied "Bismillah".
Abbott and his men then marched to Kara Tuppah (the black mound) which was a 150 feet artificial hill used as a defensive structure. Afterwards they followed the course of the Khooshk rivulet passing the ruins of a castle called Howzi Khaun which had been the location of a battle between Derveish Khaun (the former chief of the Jumsheedees), and the Huzzahruhs assisted by Mahomed Zemaun Khaun with the latter being victorious. After this Abbott left Baudkhis District and then entered Mowree District and found the ruined castle Kullah-i-Mowr, at this point Abbott estimated they came upon "not less than six or seven caravans of grain from Merv. It was here that Abbott wrote the "Kingdom of Khaurism" begins i.e. the Khanate of Khiva.
Abbott reached Khiva in late January, a week or so before the Russians were forced to turn back due to an unusually cold winter. The Khivans knew little of Britain and he was hampered by a lack of understanding of the language and culture of Khiva. The attempt to release Russian slaves failed. He did agree with the Khivan ruler, Allah Quli Khan, to establish a British agent in Khiva and to travel to Russia to negotiate between the two powers. He had no authorisation to serve as the Khan's agent, but had no way to communicate with his superiors in India. In March 1840 Abbott set off from Khiva to Fort Alexandrovsk on the Caspian Sea. His caravan was attacked by Kazakhs and he was wounded in the hand and taken hostage, but he and his party were released because the Kazakhs feared British retribution. He reached Saint Petersburg but the attempt at mediation failed. His bravery was recognised through promotion to full Captain.Great British Adventurers by Nicholas Storey. Pen and Sword Books Ltd, Yorkshire, UK, 2012. p29-32
In May 1840 Lieutenant Richmond Shakespear of the Bengal Artillery went from Herat via Merv to Khiva. He was successful and escorted 416 Russian captives to the Caspian.Notes on Western Turkistan: Some Notes on the Situation in Western Turkistan By George Aberigh-Mackay. Thack, Spink & Co, Calcutta, 1875. p42 Shakespear was knighted for this undertaking, succeeding where Abbott had failed but Abbott had laid the groundwork for the ultimate success of the mission.
The Paladins of the Punjab In 1841, Abbott returned from Britain to India. He first held a post with a local battalion in Mewar before becoming assistant to Claude Martin Wade, the Resident in Indore, in 1842. Following the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846, Abbott was hand picked to become one of Sir Henry Lawrence's "Young Men", also known as The Paladins of the Punjab. These were East India Company officers sent to act as "advisers" to the Sikh ruler.Isobel Shaw, Pakistan Handbook, Hong Kong, Local Colour Limited, (1998) p.519
Sir Henry Lawrence remarked of him:H. Allen, Narrative of a Journey from Heraut To Khiva, Moscow and St. Petersburgh, During the Late Russian Invasion of Khiva; with Some Account of the Court of Khiva and the Kingdom of Khaurism