Gallery: Old Abe,
Mascot of the Wisconsin 8th Regiment
Old Abe was born in early summer 1861 in a nest along the Chippewa River in Wisconsin's Chippewa County. His mother was killed by a group of Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe while defending her nest.

Ojibwe Chief Sky (Ah-ga-mah-we-ge-zhig) took the fledgling eaglets to Jim Falls where he traded one for food to Mrs. Margaret McCann. Mrs. MacCann's husband Dan sold the young eagle to Lieutenant James McGuire a few weeks later.The eagle became the mascot of Company C, 8th Regiment of the Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, McGuire's newly formed regiment, the "Eau Claire Badgers."

The regiment's captain, John. E. Perkins, named the eagle "Old Abe," and the tethered eagle marched with the regiment to Madison, Wisconsin, for training at Camp Randall. Francis L. Billings of Oshkosh made Old Abe's shield platform emblazoned with stars and stripes.

The regiment mustered out of Camp Randall on Sept. 17, 1861, en route to the famed western campaign of the Great Rebellion that secured the Mississippi River for the Union. Flying above the battlefield and screeching during the din of battle, Old Abe's exploits became the worthy stuff of legend. At war's end, Old Abe lived in the Wisconsin state Capitol building, taking occasional trips for patriotic gatherings.

He died March 25, 1881. His remains were preserved and mounted in the Wisconsin Assembly Chambers that burned in 1904. A replica of Old Abe still oversees the Wisconsin state Assembly chambers in Madison. gallery>>