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Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Anderson Abbott was the first Canadian-born person of African heritage to become a physician in Canada. His parents, Wilson and Elaine Abbott, had emigrated to Canada from Alabama in 1834; Anderson was born three years later in Toronto. Unlike Augusta’s experiences in Virginia, public education was more widely available to the Black community in Upper Canada.

In 1857, after attending University College, Abbott enrolled in the Toronto School of Medicine. Abbott apprenticed under Dr. Augusta and gained a valuable mentor and friend. Earning his license to practice medicine in 1861, Abbott worked as a physician in both Canada and the United States.

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The Civil War

After the American Civil War broke out in 1861, many members of the Black community in Canada traveled to the United States to fight in the Union Army. Alexander Augusta and Anderson Abbott were two of them.

In 1863, Augusta wrote to President Abraham Lincoln to offer his medical services to the Union Army. Although his services were initially rejected, largely because of the colour of his skin, the U.S. Medical Board eventually recommended Augusta be appointed a surgeon in the Union Army. He became the first Black surgeon to hold a commission and the highest-ranking Black officer at the time.

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Augusta and Abbott

Abbott also joined the Union Army’s efforts as a physician in 1863, treating Black soldiers at the Freedman’s Hospital in Washington D.C. There, he and Augusta resumed their friendship, working at the Hospital and attending social events together, including a visit to the White House to meet President Lincoln. When Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in 1865, Abbott was one of several physicians present who tried to save the dying president.

After the War, Abbott continued his medical work, serving as coroner in Ontario’s Kent County as well as medical superintendent for Chicago’s Provident Hospital.

Augusta continued to work in the U.S. as a physician at the Freedman’s Hospital. After his death in 1890, Augusta became the first Black military officer to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.