Book Reviews - The Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia

OLD ABE: THE WAR EAGLE

By Richard H. Zeitlin

State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1986, 113 pp.

Review by Jim Gallen  

Animal military mascots are probably as old as warfare, but in the American pantheon none are more revered than the eagle “Old Abe,” mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  In his book, Old Abe: the War Eagle, Richard Zeitlen recounts how Ah-ga-mah-we-ge-zhig (Chief Sky) of the Lac du Flambeau Band of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Tribe shot Old Abe’s mother and then cut down the tall while pine that contained her nest with the juvenile eaglet.  He traded the eagle in 1861 for a bushel of corn to Dan and Margaret McCann who lived along the Chippewa River across from Jim Falls, Wisconsin.  After being rejected by a militia company forming at Chippewa Falls, the eagle was purchased for $2.50 and adopted by the Eau Claire Badgers, who dubbed the bird “Old Abe” and became known as the “Eagles.”

Old Abe began his military career at Camp Randall, Wisconsin on September 4, 1861.  Mustered into the 8^th Wisconsin, Old Abe led the “Eagle Regiment” in a parade through St. Louis and shared dangers and privations with its unit through 39 battles including Island No. 10, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, and the Red River Campaign.  Author Zeitlin describes numerous incidents of “flapping wings” and “screeching” on cue or when the men were in need of a boost of espirit de corps.  Perhaps Old Abe’s best known escapade occurred on October 3, 1862, at Corinth, Mississippi:  During heavy firing, a volley cut the cord that tethered Old Abe’s to his stanchion.  He took off, flying about 10 feet off the ground along the Union lines.  Bearer David McLain chased him in the midst of the battle while men were being hit.  Old Abe lost several tail and wing feathers, too, but McLain caught him and held him under his arm and retreated “as fast as he could run.”  Old Abe’s reputation reached new heights as a result for his “Aerial Reconnaissance” of Confederate lines, for his delivery of messages, and for soaring over the regiment to encourage the men.

When the unit’s enlistments expired, Old Abe returned to Madison and was donated to the state in return for a promise to care for Old Abe “as long as he lived.”  During the last year of the War, Old Abe was a frequent attraction at events to raise funds to support the troops.  After the War, he became a frequent focal point at veterans’ reunions, fundraisers, civic festivals, and political rallies. 

Old Abe lived in the Capitol until his death in 1881, but his fame did not end there.  His taxidermic remains were a fixture in the Capitol until it destroyed by fire in 1904.  A replica of Old Abe is still on display in the Assembly chamber and his image is engraved on monuments and continues to this day as part of the shoulder patch of the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne.

Richard Zeitlin’s book completes Old Abe’s tale with detailed descriptions of the stories and anecdotes of the men whose actions and service Old Abe inspired and who were privileged to be “eagle bearers,” not only during the Civil War, but also afterwards.  The text is also supplemented with numerous pictures of Old Abe, the soldiers of the 8^th Wisconsin, battle and camp scenes, and maps to aid in understanding their battles. 

I appreciate Mr. Zeitlin for introducing me to the legend of Old Abe and, despite my extensive Civil War reading, for the enhanced understanding I gained about major battles and life in the field.  I recommend it to any Civil War history enthusiast looking for a new saga about the War. 

 

Amazon.com: Old Abe the War Eagle: A True Story of the Civil War And Reconstruction eBook: Zeitlin, Richard: Books

Old Abe the War Eagle: A True Story of the Civil War and Reconstruction | Wisconsin Historical Society Store (wisconsinhistory.org)

_____

Jim Gallen is a St. Louis, Missouri attorney.  He is Chairman of the Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club, a member of the St. Louis Civil War Roundtable (https://civilwarstlmo.org/), and member of the Ulysses S. Grant Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.