Old Abe Sees the Elephant An eagle which was the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry saw its first major action in battle at Corinth on October 3, 1862. The female eagle was traded by an Ojibwa Indian for a bushel of corn and then sold to a company of the 8th Wisconsin. The Eagle became the regimental mascot and was named Old Abe in honor of President Lincoln. The Eau Claire Badgers, who had purchased the eagle, became known as the Eagle Company. As the 8th Wisconsin moved into battle at Corinth on the afternoon of October 3rd he was carried on a stand by David McLain of Company C. As the 8th deployed they came under heavy fire and the lieutenant colonel and major were wounded leaving a captain in charge. A bullet hit the cord holding Old Abe on his perch. Old Abe was shot through one wing, cutting out three quill feathers, and McLain was shot through the left shoulder of his blouse and right leg of his pants. Old Abe screamed, and flew along the line of battle. McClain caught up with the eagle and carried him back to the perch but the eagle hopped on to the ground between the carrier’s legs and refused to stay on the perch. With the color bearer shot down and the regiment’s flanks caving in under Confederate attack, McLain picked the eagle up from the ground placed him under his arm and ran as fast as he could. Old Abe would continue with the regiment through the war. When the regiment went through Oxford, Mississippi, a southern girl called out, Oh! See that Yankee Buzzard, which would become the Confederate name for the mascot. After the war Old Abe was classified as a “War Relic” and an “Eagle Department” was set up in the capitol building at Madison, Wisconsin, The Department included a two room “apartment,” a custom bathtub for the eagle, and a caretaker. The Eagle suffered smoke inhalation from a fire in the Capitol and died in March 1881. The remains of Old Abe were destroyed in another fire in 1904 that leveled the Capitol Building. Old Abe is remembered, though, in the unit patch of the 101st Airborne Division, “The Screaming Eagles.” To learn more about the Battle of Corinth join us for anniversary hikes on October 3, 4, and 5, 2014. For more information on the Corinth anniversary activities go to: go.nps.gov/6fb93z Pictures: Old Abe with the color guard of the 8th Wisconsin at Vicksburg, Old Abe with last caretaker, Patch of 101st Airborne
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:00:05 +0000
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