James Abbott

James Abbott or Jim Abbott may refer to:

James Abbott (Indian Army officer)

General Sir James Abbott, KCB (12 March 1807 – 6 October 1896), was a British army officer and administrator in colonial India.The Pakistani city of Abbottabad was founded by and named after him.

Family background

James Abbott was the 3rd son of Henry Alexius Abbott, a retired Calcutta merchant of Blackheath, then in Kent, and his wife Margaret Welsh, the daughter of William Welsh of Edinburgh. He had the following siblings:

Career

He joined the Bengal Artillery at the age of sixteen. He made a name for himself in the northwest frontier region of India in the middle part of the 19th century. In 1839, he undertook a mission to the Khanate of Khiva as part of the Great Game, the contest for influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and the Russian Empire. His objective was to obtain the release of Russian slaves in the Khanate to deny the Russians a pretext for invading it. Abbott was probably the first Briton to reach Khiva. The Khivans knew little of the British Empire and suspected him of being a Russian spy. He was welcomed however because they thought he might be able to do something about the impending Russian invasion. When the invasion was called off Abbott was sent west to the Russian post at Fort Alexandrovsk. On his way he was captured by raiders, but was released when they learned that he was carrying letters from the Emir. Shortly afterwards Richmond Shakespear was successful in the same task.

James Abbott (footballer)

James Abbott (born 1892, date of death unknown) was a footballer who played in the Football League for Manchester City. He was born in Patricroft, England.

He played in three top flight games for Manchester City, prior to the outbreak of World War One, scoring two goals in three games, including a goal on his debut at Sheffield United in September 1913. He had moved to the Hyde Road club after non-League spells with Barton Albion and Eccles Borough.

References