Old Abe, a young eagle acquired in the spring of 1861 when a band of hungry Chippewa traded him to the McCann farm for corn, became a family pet and then the mascot of Company C, Eighth Wisconsin, after the crippled Dan McCann offered the eagle’s services for Civil War duty, feeling that someone from the family ought to go. On October 12, 1861, the Eagle Regiment started for the front, and in action Old Abe spread his wings and screamed encouragement to the men; the louder the noise of battle, the louder and fiercer were his screams. He served with the regiment in 42 skirmishes and battles and lost only a few feathers. After three years’ service, Old Abe was formally presented to the State of Wisconsin on September 26, 1864, and a room was equipped for him in the Capitol with a man employed to care for him. His last public appearance came at the National Encampment of the G. A. R. in Milwaukee in 1880, where he and General U. S. Grant were honored guests. After a brief illness, Old Abe died on March 28, 1881.