Old Abe

He joined Company C in 1861 and traveled with the regiment until 1864.

In the fall of 1861, Company C of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry went to war with a bald eagle on the roster. His name was Old Abe, after the president, and the men carried him into battle on a shield-shaped perch that rode beside the regimental colors. Up and down the line they became known as the Eagle Regiment.

For nearly three years, Old Abe traveled with the regiment and became its famous mascot. Portrait cards of the bird were sold to benefit Chicago’s Great Sanitary Fair in 1865. After returning to Wisconsin in 1864, he lived at the state Capitol and made public appearances, including the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

The eagle on the 101st Airborne’s shoulder patch commemorates one particular bird: the mascot who traveled with a company of Wisconsin volunteers.

What it stands for:

• Old Abe, and the Wisconsin men who carried him through the war and brought him home
• A famous military eagle, who turned out to be a real one.
• The small, good surprise of a symbol that began as something true

He started as one bird on one perch beside the colors of Company C. He ended up on the shoulder of an entire airborne division.

Designed in America. Made to last.