Joseph Carter Abbott
United States Senator fromNorth Carolina
In office July 14, 1868 – March 4, 1871
Preceded by	Thomas Bragg
Succeeded by	Matthew W. Ransom
Personal details
Born	(1825-07-15)July 15, 1825 Concord,New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	October 8, 1881(1881-10-08) (aged 56) Wilmington,North Carolina, U.S.
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Branch/service	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Colonel Bvt.Brigadier General
Battles/wars	See list American Civil War Second Battle of Fort Wagner Battle of Olustee Bermuda Hundred campaign Richmond-Petersburg campaign Battle of Chaffin's Farm Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads Wilmington campaigns Second Battle of Fort Fisher Battle of Wilmington

Joseph Carter Abbott (July 15, 1825 – October 8, 1881) was aUnion Army colonel during theAmerican Civil War who was awarded the grade ofbrevetbrigadier general of volunteers and aRepublicanUnited States senator from the state ofNorth Carolina between 1868 and 1871. During his career in private life he was a lawyer, newspaper editor and businessman. He also served as collector of the port of Wilmington, inspector of posts along the eastern line of the southern coast during theRutherford B. Hayes Administration, and special agent of theUnited States Treasury Department.

Abbott was born inConcord, New Hampshire, to farmer Aaron Carter Abbott and Nancy Badger, and graduated fromPhillips Academy inAndover, Massachusetts, in 1846, having studied there and under private auspices.^[1] He studied law at Concord, and was admitted to the bar in 1852. From 1852 to 1857, Abbott was the owner and editor of theDaily American newspaper, inManchester, New Hampshire. His success with it led to his being given the position of editor of theBoston Atlas and Bee, which he held from 1859 through 1861.^[2]

He served asAdjutant General of New Hampshire from 1855 to 1861, reorganizing thestate militia during that time. He was also a member of the commission to adjust the boundary between New Hampshire andCanada. He early joined theKnow Nothing Party, and during all these years was a frequent contributor to the magazines, being particularly interested in historical matters.

In December 1861, Abbott became thelieutenant colonel of the7th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Regiment and participated in the battles ofPort Royal Sound,St. John's Bluff,Fort Pulaski andFort Wagner. In November 1863, he becamecolonel of the regiment and led it at theBattle of Olustee and during the subsequentBermuda Hundred Campaign inVirginia.

During thesiege of Petersburg, he commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division,X Corps atChaffin's Farm and the subsequentactions along the Darbytown and New Market Roads. TheArmy of the James was then reorganized and his command became the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division,XXIV Corps which was attached to the Fort Fisher Expeditionary Corps underBrig. Gen.Alfred H. Terry and participated in thesecond battle of Fort Fisher and the capture ofWilmington. Although Abbott was not appointed as a full, substantive rank general, on January 25, 1865,PresidentAbraham Lincoln nominated Abbott for appointment to the grade ofbrevetbrigadier general of volunteers, to rank from January 15, 1865 for gallant services in the capture of Fort Fisher^[3] and theU.S. Senate confirmed the award on February 14, 1865.^[4] During the final stages of the war, he was stationed inWilmington, North Carolina.

Following the war, Abbott remained in North Carolina. He was active in state politics, serving as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1868. During this time, his political strength came primarily through the black population. He believed in their capacity and assisted in organization and politically counseling them in ways which brought him blunt warnings from the white population. He was elected to theUnited States Senate that same year, representing North Carolina in that body for the first time since July 1861, when the state's two senators were expelled following the North Carolina'ssecession from the Union. He served as a senator from July 14, 1868 to March 4, 1871.

He also served as a member of theRepublican National Committee from North Carolina from 1870 through 1872. During this period, he was also found to be in the pay of a "ring" whose major interests seemed substantially similar to Abbott's own political positions. During his tenure in the Senate, he spoke in orthodox terms on matters ofsuffrage, and was helpful in handling the details of army administration. He devoted a good deal of time to improve the harbor of Wilmington, and hoped that the railroads of the Carolinas would be consolidated and made part of a southern transcontinental system. However, for all his efforts, his single greatest achievement was the imposition of a duty on peanuts. He was not nominated for a second term to the Senate. He died in 1881

Upon leaving the Senate, he conducted a lumber manufacturing business and served as editor of theWilmington Post. He also received federal offices from both PresidentsRutherford Hayes andUlysses S. Grant, including serving as collector of the port of Wilmington, inspector of posts along the eastern line of the southern coast during theRutherford B. Hayes Administration, and special agent of theUnited States Treasury Department. From August 1869, he served as editor of theWilmington Post, a Republican organ of good quality for the era. However, he never again achieved any real status as a party leader. He established the town ofAbbottsburg, North Carolina.

He was originally buried in the National Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was reinterred in 1887 atValley Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire. Despite three marriages, he died childless. His political legacy is not much better, with theDictionary of American Biography writing that "The historians of the state even now mention him only to condemn him."^[5]

• List of American Civil War Generals (Union)

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989: Bicentennial Edition. United States: Government Printing Office, 1989.ISBN 0-16-006384-1.
• Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J.Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R.Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue. Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990.ISBN 1-56013-002-4.
• Johnson, Allen.Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964.
• Wilson, J. G.;Fiske, J., eds. (1900)."Abbott, Joseph Carter" .Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.

• United States Congress."Joseph Carter Abbott (id: A000006)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJoseph Carter Abbott.

• 1825 births
• 1881 deaths
• Politicians from Concord, New Hampshire
• Republican Party United States senators from North Carolina
• North Carolina Republicans
• 19th-century American newspaper editors
• Politicians from Wilmington, North Carolina
• Politicians from Manchester, New Hampshire
• Lawyers from Boston
• American male journalists
• 19th-century American male writers
• People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War
• Union army colonels
• People of the Six Years' War
• Burials at Valley Cemetery
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 19th-century United States senators

• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The BDA (1906)
• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The BDA (1906) with Wikisource reference
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from The BDA (1906)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from Appleton's Cyclopedia
• S-bef: 'before' parameter includes the word 'vacant'
• Commons category link from Wikidata