Many newspapers and Veterans groups wondered aloud "what would become of this famous, flesh and blood war relic?"
Upon his death, "Old Abe" was preserved and exhibited in the Capitol building's Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall until a fire destroyed the display in 1904.
Sadly, only a few of his feathers survived, carefully preserved by the Wisconsin Veterans' Museum in Madison.
Today, large sculptures of "Old Abe" stand atop the Wisconsin monument at Vicksburg, Miss., and atop the entrance to old Camp Randall, now the main entrance to the University of Wisconsin's football stadium.
Since 1865, Wisconsin-based J.I. Case farm implement company has used "Old Abe" as part of their corporate logo. "Old Abe" also serves as the mascot of several Wisconsin high schools.
Since 1921, "Old Abe's" head, in profile, has served as the shoulder sleeve insignia of the @101stAASLTDIV.
A large-scale diorama of the 8th Wisconsin's Color Guard, complete with "Old Abe," is on exhibit in the atrium of the division headquarters building on Fort Campbell.
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The Screaming Eagle insignia of the @101stAASLTDIV is perhaps the most recognized and famous shoulder sleeve insignia in the United States Army.
However the history and symbolism of the patch is often forgotten. The eagle on your shoulder is not just any American Bald Eagle, but instead, it commemorates the most famous animal mascot that ever served in the United States Army.
After crossing the Delaware on December 25, 1776, Gen. George Washington embarked on a ten day campaign, known as the “10 Crucial Days," that would change the course of the war, culminating at the Battle of Princeton.
By noon on Dec. 30, Col. John Cadwalader, in command of a brigade of Philadelphia Associators stationed 15 miles south of Princeton, received valuable intelligence from an unidentified informant who'd been detained the night before by British troops and managed to escape.
In late 1776, morale in the Continental Army was at a low after losses at the Battle of White Plains in October and at Forts Washington and Lee in November.
Chased by the British, General George Washington retreated across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania.
On September 5, The Royal Navy, attempting to sail up the Bay to Gen. Cornwallis, is met by French warships at the mouth of the Chesapeake. In this Battle of the Capes, the British fleet is soundly defeated trapping British troops without supplies and much-needed reinforcements.
On September 12, 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces under Commander General John J. Pershing launched its first major offensive in Europe as an independent army.
The U.S.-led attack occurred in the Saint-Mihiel salient, a triangular area of land between Verdun and Nancy occupied by the German army since the fall of 1914.
The Saint-Mihiel salient was strategically important as it hindered rail communications between Paris and the eastern sections of the front—eliminating the salient was necessary before the final Allied offensive of the war could begin.