Show 1 WISCONSIN VETERANS MOURN LOSS OF THEIR WARTIME WAR TIME MASCOT above the lamentations over the burning of the wisconsin state capitol with its hoards of valuable archives and chronicles are heard the beall be all ing of ohp old guard mourning the loss of old abe the world famous battle eagle hundreds of family hearths were turned into bivouac fires while veterans foregathered to swap yarns of the bird that led the eighth wisconsin infantry into thirty six bat ties of the civil war from fredericks town to hurricane creek tie of the stuffed bird that tor two decades from its perch under the great dome had surveyed with im gaze thousands of visitors and sightseers has stirred a revival of stories of the old war pet old abe was captured on the flambeau river between ashland and price counties in 1861 by chief sky a chippewa indian son of thunder of bees chief of the flambeau band of the tribe chief sky caught the young bird after a climb to the top of a gl gantic hemlock tree and a week later realized on his adventure by selling his captive for a bushel of corn the bird was carried to eau claire just as company was being mustered in the lumbermen from the pine woods voted in the eagle as a volunteer and after a surgeon s examination it was added to the list of recruits and began its course from obscurity to fame when the company marched into camp randall at madison in 1861 a salute was fired in honor of the bird which became the mascot of the whole regiment it went through the war carried into battle aloft on a perch from which it rose screaming to the length of its cord at tha end of the war the bird was placed on exhibition once in chicago its value had risen from the original bushel of corn to 5 for each feather that fell from its plume while P barnum offered 20 for permission to place it in his circus in january 1862 at cairo old abe who was becoming cadaverous from a diet of hardtack and salt horse scraped up an acquaintance with frank a dog whom he taught to go out foraging for squirrels and rabbits according to the stories the canine friend treated the eagle as the ravens did elijah one day the for ager was unsuccessful and old abe dug his talons into the dog s back and the partnership was over in the battle before corinth old abe was aloft in sight of the army whirling and dancing on his perch battles made him voracious by this time thomas J hill of eau claire his bearer ly entangled the rope in a clump of bushes when the eagle became exasperated and struck his talons into his master s face blind ed the soldier rushed down the line followed by his comrades who made one of the most desperate charges in the history of the regiment it was in a charge before vicksburg may 22 1863 that old abe per formed his most renowned feat W edward thomaston Ho maston was carrying the standard when he fell prostrate his comrades rushed by and the eagle eager to be at the front dragged him in the direction of the battle until they struck P log and were thrown back together into a clump of brush at that instant a cannon ball passed over head tell me the grizzled veterans end their tales tell me will you whether abe gasn wasn t protected by providence at alexandria old abe emulated the example of the ducks at rome and gave warning of the approach of the enemy at nightfall his whistle sent out scouts who caught a spy whom they forced to give up the counter sign and lead them into ohp besieged city the bird seemed to bear a charmed life not one of his bearers cons ous marl s as they were was shot down the soldiers declared that the dodged the bullets in his last battle where a rout seemed imminent old abe rallied his regiment uy de louring a rabbit on his perch heedless of roaring cannon and shrieking shell at the close of the war the bird be came a pensioner at madison having a room to himself in the basement of the capitol he was exhibited at gatherings of soldiers all over s the country and was a side attraction with such celebrities as generals grait logan sherman sheridan and otter union leaders feathers from lis glossy pi image sold at fabulous is and sculptors made bronzes of the a bird at the grand army reunion in ahl cago may 11 1875 the bird was an honored guest with headquarters at the grand pacific hotel and later he placed the stamp of superiority on his character by a three months so journ at boston A cold caused his death march 26 1881 with a few feeble flaps of his wings he expired in the stout arms of his keeper george galles george said abe seemed to know that he was about to die for when he asked solicitously must we lose you abea the bird looked alst fully into his keepers face and then sunk back into his arms around him were one armed an 1 one legged veter ans whose tears shined that they had lost a comrade besides the war eagle I 1 aclus fair child post GA R loses many high ly prized memento tattered stan dards of every company blood stained banners captured in the war weapons indian relics and a large library there were books of camp incident and scrap books picture albums things that can not be collected again |