03/26/2026
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On this day in 1881, Old Abe, the famed War Eagle from Wisconsin, died in the arms of his caretaker after a short illness resulting from smoke inhalation caused by a small fire in the Capitol days before.
Old Abe was carried at the head Eight Wisconsin Regiment during the Civil War and served to rally the regiment and the entire Union Army throughout the war. After his service, Old Abe lived in a dedicated apartment in the basement of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building. As a national emblem, he traveled the country appearing at Grand Army of the Republic reunions, various fairs, and centennial celebrations throughout the country. He was a stellar fundraiser for causes benefiting Civil War soldiers and sailors.
As his death announcement from the March 28, 1881 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal reads, “No other ‘war relic’ in all history, has had anything like the fame awarded to the grand old soldier bird of Wisconsin. His loss to the State is a genuine one, for he as perhaps tended more than any other one thing in it, to make Wisconsin known abroad. And thousands of Veterans will drop genuine tears on hearing the news.”
Pictured here are eagle-bearer John F. Hill and Old Abe in 1876. You can learn more about Old Abe and his importance to our nation on our blog. https://wisvetsmuseum.com/old-abe-the-war-eagle/
