Story of Old Abe Wisconsin's Civil War Hero

THE STORY OF OLD ABE, WISCONSIN'S CIVIL WAR HERO, captured as an eaglet in forests of Chippewa County, became a mascot for the Eighth Wisconsin Regiment. He was inducted into the army at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. He took part in many battles in Mississippi, Missouri, & Illinois. A soldier was assigned to carry the eagle on a roost atop a pole in front of the marching army. The men said he gave them courage. Before the war was over the Regiment voted to give Old Abe to the Wisconsin Governor & Abe was given two rooms in the basement of the capitol. Here children came to visit & veterans brought their families. Abe was taken to fairs & veteran's reunions & thousands of his pictures were sold. The money was donated to build hospital for wounded veterans. Abe's greatest exhibit came in Philadelphia for the Centennial Celebration of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. On May 22, 1911, a delegation of Wisconsin veterans, led by the Governor, were in Vicksburg to dedicate a monument to the men who lost their lives. On top a tall obelisk in the Wisconsin section of Vicksburg National Cemetery stands a six-foot bronze statue of Old Abe. THE STORY OF OLD ABE won the Award of Merit for literature from The State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1988. One librarian wrote, "Thank you for making history come alive for children."Rosholt, Malcolm is the author of 'Story of Old Abe Wisconsin's Civil War Hero' with ISBN 9780910417099 and ISBN 0910417091.