Abiel Leonard Smith (1857-1946) was born in Fayette, Missouri, the son of Joseph D. and Martha (Leonard) Smith. After his graduation from West Point in 1878, he participated in military campaigns against American Indians. In February 1890 the army brevetted him a captain for bravery in the campaign that captured Apache leader Geronimo four years earlier. He became a military aide at the White House during the first presidential administration of Grover Cleveland. During the Spanish-American War, he served as chief of the comissary office. During a tour of duty in the Philippines, he was chief quartermaster, responsible for food supply. After the Russo-Japanese War, he participated in a government mission to monitor Japanese activities in Manchuria. Between 1907 and 1917, he served as Chief Quartermaster of the Eastern Division in New York City. He graduated from the Army War College in 1914 and made brigadier general in September 1916. During World War I, he served in the office of the Secretary of War in Washington, D.C. He retired in January 1918. In 1890 he married Florence Compton, with whom he had four children.
From the description of Smith, Abiel L. (Abiel Leonard), 1857-1946 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10609639
