Mascots

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I recently there are several but I'll post about the best- Old Abe and the oddest- Douglas

Old Abe, a female 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. Old Abe would soar over battlefields screeching until the fighting ended.

Old Abe took part in over 42 battles, including Vicksburg.The Confederate troops often tried to shoot that "yankee buzzard" but always missed. Old Abe also got caught eating an officer's prize chicken and even some unguarded brandy. Old Abe was named after President Lincoln.

In the words of David McLain:
I have frequently seen Generals Grant, Sherman, McPherson, Rosecrans, Blair, Logan, and others, when they were passing our regiment, raise their hats as they passed Old Abe, which always brought a cheer from the regiment and then the eagle would spread his wings …

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Douglas The Camel, or “Old Douglas,” was a domesticatedcamel used by Company A of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry, part of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Because of Old Douglas,the 43rd Mississippi Infantry came to be known as the Camel Regiment, Douglas was originally part of a U.S. War Department program called the Texas Camel Experiment, which aimed to experiment with camels as a possible alternative to horses and mules, which were dying of dehydration in vast numbers. Jefferson Davis, who ascended to the position of United States Secretary of Warin 1856, was a strong proponent of the program, and used his political influence to make the experiment happen.[2] Although the details are unknown, Douglas somehow made his way to Mississippi, and eventually died, fittingly enough, at Davis's hometown of Vicksburg. He was initially given to Colonel W. H. Moore by 1st Lt. William Hargrove. Besides being a mascot, Moore assigned Douglas to the regimental band, carrying instruments and knapsacks


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DAILY CONSTITUTIONALIST [AUGUSTA, GA], February 26, 1861, p. 3, c. 2

That Cat.

We mentioned in our report of the firemen’s procession, on Friday last, that a cat had taken up her abode on the engine of the Georgia Fire Company. ...
 
I recently there are several but I'll post about the best- Old Abe and the oddest- Douglas

Old Abe, a female 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. Old Abe would soar over battlefields screeching until the fighting ended.

Old Abe took part in over 42 battles, including Vicksburg.The Confederate troops often tried to shoot that "yankee buzzard" but always missed. Old Abe also got caught eating an officer's prize chicken and even some unguarded brandy. Old Abe was named after President Lincoln.

In the words of David McLain:
I have frequently seen Generals Grant, Sherman, McPherson, Rosecrans, Blair, Logan, and others, when they were passing our regiment, raise their hats as they passed Old Abe, which always brought a cheer from the regiment and then the eagle would spread his wings …

Expired Image Removed







Douglas The Camel, or “Old Douglas,” was a domesticatedcamel used by Company A of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry, part of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Because of Old Douglas,the 43rd Mississippi Infantry came to be known as the Camel Regiment, Douglas was originally part of a U.S. War Department program called the Texas Camel Experiment, which aimed to experiment with camels as a possible alternative to horses and mules, which were dying of dehydration in vast numbers. Jefferson Davis, who ascended to the position of United States Secretary of Warin 1856, was a strong proponent of the program, and used his political influence to make the experiment happen.[2] Although the details are unknown, Douglas somehow made his way to Mississippi, and eventually died, fittingly enough, at Davis's hometown of Vicksburg. He was initially given to Colonel W. H. Moore by 1st Lt. William Hargrove. Besides being a mascot, Moore assigned Douglas to the regimental band, carrying instruments and knapsacks


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If Douglas died at Vicksburg, what are the odds that he was, shall we say, consumed by the starving defenders?

R
 
After the war Old Abe was sent to live in a place of honor inside the US Capitol Building. She helped save the Us Capitol from destruction in 1881 by using her piercing call to alert people to a fire that had broken out in the basement. the fire was stopped.
Old_Abe_Civil_War_Eagle_Mascot.JPG
 
The 4th Texas Infantry had a small dog named Candy who fallowed Company B of the regiment all the way from Austin to Virginia. He went with them into battle throughout all the Texas Brigade's battles up until 1862 when he was 'captured' at Antietam in the Cornfield. Candy was paraded around the Federal camps after the battle and unfortunately the Texans never saw her again after that.
 
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Just ran across this story of Trust, a dog who served with the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and is said to have received an honorable discharge signed by General Hartsuff when the regiment was mustered out in June 1865. He and his master, Samuel Humes Shannon, served from 1862-1865. We especially enjoyed seeing the painting of Trust that appears here with his story: http://tinyurl.com/CivilWarDogTrust.
 
Captain Elisha Hunt Rhodes, writing in his diary, had this to say about the company's little lamb ...
September 18, 1864: "I selected one lamb from our flock and we are to make a pet of it. We have named him 'Dick' and he is already a great favorite."
The next day, the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers took part in the Battle of Opequon.

Rhodes diary entry, October 11, 1864: "My pet lamb 'Dick' survived the battle and is well known in the city. He follows me or my horse wherever I go."
 
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