“Teacher was reading to the class about Old Abe, the war Eagle,
today,” said the boy named Billy.
“What about him,” asked Big Sister, “I do not remember anything
about him in my United States History.”
“Teacher said he was not really historical--just an incident in
the history of the Civil War, but he is most interesting,” said
the boy named Billy. “He went through three years of the war and
was in the thick of every battle, where he seemed to be having
the time of his life, understanding which side he belonged to
very well indeed. One day when the Confederate soldiers had been
told by their officers to ‘get that old bird’ and they were all
firing on him as hard as they possibly could, Old Abe went up in
the air and stayed there circling ’round and ’round--screaming
his head off, and when the battle was over he went back to his
standard minus a few feathers but still all in one piece, as Big
Brother says.”
“Wherever did they get him?” asked Big Sister.
“Some people say Old Abe was caught in the spring of 1861 on the
banks of the Flambeau River in Wisconsin when the Indians were
making their maple sugar, by the son of Chief Thunder-Of-Bees. He
climbed to the top of the tall tree where the Eagles had their
nest and took the baby bird out when the old ones were away.
Others say that he chopped the tree down and had a fight with the
old birds, but finally escaped with the little one who was then
about as large as a hen. Anyway he got him, and took him home
to the children, where he became quite one of the family, until
when it was planting time Chief Sky sold him for a bushel of seed
corn. A man named Mills then bought him from his owner for five
dollars and presented him to a Company of young volunteers who
were organizing to go to the front.
“The boys thought Mr. Eagle was great fun, and they made him
enlist, by putting the colors around his neck and a shield on his
breast so that he was really a living United States Emblem. Then
they christened him ‘Old Abe’ in honor of the president, and made
a standard for him, and after that wherever his regiment, the 8th
Wisconsin, went, there was Old Abe in all his glory, so that the
regiment became known as the Eagle Regiment.
“After the war he was taken back to Madison where he had started
from three long years before, and was given a perch in the
Capitol where he held a reception every day. P. T. Barnum wanted
to buy him and so did many others, but he could not be purchased.
There wasn’t money enough in the world to buy him.
“In the winter of 1864-5 he was taken to the big fair at Chicago
where his photographs were sold for the benefit of sick and
wounded soldiers, and he earned in that way 16,000 dollars. In
1876 he was taken to the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia
where he was greatly admired, and when that was over he was taken
home again to his perch in the State Capitol at Madison.
“In 1881 the bird died of old age and the people of Madison had
his skin stuffed and mounted on his old perch. There Old Abe
stood, looking every inch a war eagle and a hero, until the State
House burned.”
“That is a very interesting story,” said Somebody.
“It is in a book called ‘The Great Seal’ by a Mr. J. Cigrand,”
said the boy named Billy. “I’m going to read it all when I can
read a little better.”