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| - John Abell was a career officer on the United States General Staff, serving from the early part of the Great War, when he was a captain, to the aftermath of the Second Great War, when he was promoted to major general. A man of pale, cadaverous appearance, prone to prissy and meticulous behavior, Abell was nonetheless an exceptionally gifted strategist and administrator who managed the rare feat of rising to two-star rank without having had a field command.
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abstract
| - John Abell was a career officer on the United States General Staff, serving from the early part of the Great War, when he was a captain, to the aftermath of the Second Great War, when he was promoted to major general. A man of pale, cadaverous appearance, prone to prissy and meticulous behavior, Abell was nonetheless an exceptionally gifted strategist and administrator who managed the rare feat of rising to two-star rank without having had a field command. A contemporary of Irving Morrell (and his polar opposite in many ways), Abell was the consummate "paper warrior", having spent his entire career in the General Staff. Morrell and Abell crossed paths constantly; by the Second Great War, Abell was deemed an expert in dealing with Morrell. Morrell, in turn, often vexed Abell, especially when Morrell submitted his resignation to the General Staff to get its attention. While Abell may have disliked many of the tactics and operations proposed by Morrell, as well as Morrell's love for field operations, the two men shared a hatred of the Confederate States. They also shared a respect for each other's abilities. It was Abell who informed Morrell that Morrell had been promoted from colonel to brigadier general early in the Second Great War. While he was skeptical of Morrell's plan to plunge deep into the Confederacy in 1943, Abell saw to it that Morrell had the resources he needed to carry out his offensive and end the war. In addition to his dealings with Morrell, Abell dealt with General Abner Dowling as part of his duties with the General Staff, for instance, confirming the order to attack that was delivered to the Eleventh Army. After Camp Humble fell, Abell informed Dowling that he would be transferred back to the Virginia front. Shortly after the war, Abell was promoted to Major General. In this capacity, he asked Dowling to retire and was involved in disposing of high-ranking Confederate officials unfit for judicial punishment and too dangerous to let loose. In particular, he made the decision to target Professor Henderson V. FitzBelmont, the head of the Confederate superbomb project, for an "unfortunate accident."
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