James William Abert

James William Abert.

James William Abert (November 18, 1820 - August 10, 1897) was an American soldier, explorer, ornithologist and topographical artist. Abert, the son of John James Abert,^[1] was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, and graduated from West Point in 1842. Abert joined the Corps of Topographical Engineers, of which his father was the head,^[1] in 1843. He joined several expeditions into the west, including John Frémont's third expedition, and illustrated these expeditions reports with his sketches. He was also put in charge of a detachment to map the Canadian River. In 1846 he was sent west to join the army of General Kearney in the war against Mexico, returning to Fort Leavenworth in the following year. It was during this time that he acquired a new species of bird, which was named the Abert's Towhee in his honour. He served with the Union Army during the American Civil War, was wounded in battle, and retired as a colonel in 1884. After the Civil War, he became a professor of mathematics and drawing at the University of Missouri. His original watercolors are now privately owned.