Old Abe

Badgerland Journal

Did you know that an Eagle lived in the Wisconsin State Capital for 15 years? Old Abe became the mascot for the Wisconsin 8th infantry during the Civil War and saw thirty-seven battles and skirmishes during the war. He became a legendary eagle known throughout the country. Tune in to find out more about Old Abe. Don't forget to keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram, or send an email [e-mail]

Sources:

“Chief Sky, Now Blind and Helpless Tells Story of ‘Old Abe’ War Eagle.” Eau Claire Leader, March 27, 1914.

WHS Online Collection https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/quiner/id/19464

Driggs, George. “Pets of the Regiment - ‘Old Abe.’” Essay. In Opening of the Mississippi or Two Years Campaign In The Southwest, 35–43. Madison, WI: W.J. Park & Co, 1864.

WHS Online Collection https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/quiner/id/23552

“Famed Bald Eagle Mascot ‘Old Abe’ Confirmed as Male DNA Testing of Mascots Feathers Answers 150 Year Old Debate .” Wisconsin Veterans Museum , January 4, 2019. https://wisvetsmuseum.com/famed-bald-eagle-mascot-old-abe-convfirmed-as-male-dna-testing-of-mascots-feathers-answers-150-year-old-debate/#:~:text=Named%20after%20President%20Abraham%20Lincoln%2C%20Old%20Abe%20served%20as%20the,Regiment%20during%20the%20Civil%20War.&text=Blake%20spoke%20of%20Old%20Abe,eagle%20was%20actually%20a%20female.

McLain, David. “The Story of Old Abe.” Wisconsin Magazine of History 8, no. 4 (June 1925): 408–14. https://doi.org/https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/wmh/id/4988.

“Old Abe the War Eagle: Road to Camp Randall.” Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Accessed January 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624080918/http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/exhibitions/online/old_abe/?ID=32.

“Old Abe, the War Eagle.” Wisconsin Historical Society, October 3, 2012. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2541.