William R. Abercrombie was a career U.S. Army officer during the late 19th century.

Raised in Long Island, New York, Abercrombie was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army by President

President

A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

U.S. Grant in 1877 and was assigned to the 2nd Infantry

2nd Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 2nd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. It has served the United States for more than two hundred years. It is the third oldest regiment in the US Army with a Lineage date of 1808 and a history extending back to 1791...

. He proceeded to the Pacific coast to join the Nez Perce War

Nez Perce War

The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict between the Nez Perce and the United States government fought in 1877 as part of the American Indian Wars. After a series of battles in which both the U.S. Army and native people sustained significant casualties, the Nez Perce surrendered and were relocated...

. After the war he served in a number of assignments including the Indian Wars

Indian Wars

American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...

, Abercrombie participated in many expeditions in the Northwest and Alaska.

Fort Abercrombie

Fort Abercrombie

Fort Abercrombie, in North Dakota, was an American fort established by authority of an act of Congress, March 3, 1857. The act allocated twenty-five square miles of land on the Red River in Dakota Territory to be used for a military outpost, but the exact location was left to the discretion of...

 in Kodiak

Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...

, in the Territory of Alaska, was named in his honor.