![]() NPS / P. Winfrey WISCONSIN COLONEL GEORGE W. ROBBINS LIEUT. COLONEL JOHN W. JEFFERSON MAJOR WILLIAM B. BRITTON Engaged: Jackson, May 14; Assault, May 22; Mechanicsburg, June 4; Richmond, LA., June 15. Aggregate Casualties 44, Killed 3, Wounded 19, Missing 22. Lieut. Willard D. Chapman Killed; Captain Stephen Estee Mortally Wounded. 2D Brig. 3D Div. 15th Corps EIGHT INFANTRY ![]() NPS Photo The 8th, with other regiments, disembarked at Hamburg, Mississippi, in quest of Gen. Beauregard's Army and formed a line of battle at Farmington, Mississippi on 9 May 1862. The eagle flew for the first time over the battle at Farmington, with Corinth, Iuka, and then Vicksburg following. McGinnis became ill and Thomas J. Hill, from Eau Claire, was given the task of carrying the eagle. Later, when Hill was appointed to a regimental position, the job fell to David McClane from Menomonie, Wisconsin, on 18 August 1862. Soon after the Battle of Corinth, someone in the regiment cropped the tail and wing feathers of the bird to prevent his flying away. McClane became disgusted with the treatment inflicted upon the eagle, and resigned his post on 1 November 1862, passing the duty to Edward Homaston of Eau Claire. Homaston, reared in the Green Mountains of Vermont, had watched the flights of eagles daily, and took to the eagle (now nicknamed "Old Abe") with a natural instinct. The friendship between man and bird became very strong as they thoroughly understood each other. ![]() NPS Photo Old Abe became a nationally known celebrity, and appreared at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and the 1880 Grand Army of the Republic National Convention. In 1881 a small fire broke out in he the basement of the Wisconsin Capitol, and Old Abe would eventually die from inhaling too much smoke. Less than a year later, a taxidermied Old Abe was placed on display in the Rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capitol, but a fire in 1904 would not just destroy the remains of Old Abe, but the entire Capitol building as well. ![]() Since 1915 a replica of Old Abe has presided over the Wisconsin State Assembly Chamber in the Capitol Building. Here at Vicksburg, Old Abe sits rightfully at the top of the Wisconsin State Monument. The curent 101st Airborne Division of the US Army honors Old Abe with his depiction on their official insignia. The 101st Division was founded in Wisconsin after World War I, and chose Olde Abe for their path to honor his legacy and the Civil War traditions of the state. |
Last updated: July 4, 2024