"Old Abe"

"Old Abe". The War Eagle. , Although taking unit mascots on campaigns and into action has been widespread throughout military history, the most notable in American history is most likely “Old Abe”, the war eagle. Purchased by a member of the future 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in 1861, the eagle was named after the newly elected president, Abraham Lincoln. From the time the unit left Madison in 1861, until it returned in 1865, “Old Abe” participated in every engagement the 8th was involved in; a total of 37 battles and skirmishes. He became an icon for the members of the unit, their brigade, and the Army. After the war, “Old Abe” saw just as much action as he did during, in the form of political rallies, conventions, parades, and fairs until he died on March 26, 1881. Today, the spirit of “Old Abe” lives on in every serviceman and servicewoman of the 101th Airborne Division who wear the shoulder insignia bearing the likeness of the war eagle. Throughout American history, the bald eagle has been a symbol of strength, courage, and freedom. perhaps no other emblem of this country had meant or inspired do much as the Great American bald eagle.,

I’d rather capture ‘Old Abe’ than a whole brigade. , Sterling Price , Major General, Confederate Army , Battle of Corinth, October 3, 1862