Old Abe (1861? – March 28, 1881), bald eagle, was the mascot of
the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American
Civil War and is the screaming eagle mascot depicted on the
insignia of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division....That
storied creature is for Abe Sauer just some absurdity that Awl
readers should laugh at. Laugh at the stupid people in Wisconsin
who think there's some meaning embodied in the carcass of a
bird. Company C named the eagle after President Abraham Lincoln,
and designed a special perch on which they carried the bird into
battle. Old Abe participated in the Second Battle of Corinth (in
which the 8th Wisconsin lost half of its men) and the Siege of
Vicksburg, among other battles. In battle, Old Abe quickly
became legendary, screaming and spreading his wings at the
enemy. Confederate troops called him the "Yankee Buzzard" and
made several attempts to capture him but never succeeded.
Several times he lost feathers to bullets and saw his handlers
get shot out from under him. Wh