In 1861, when he was two months old, Abe was captured by O Ge Ma Ke Zhik (also called Chief Sky), an Ojibwe Indian. He was sold to Daniel McCann of Jim Falls (Wisconsin) for a bushel of corn and was a pet of the McCann family. McCann and Abe traveled to Eau Claire where McCann sold him to Company C of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry for two and half dollars. J. M. Jeffers of Eau Claire, learned of the sale and told McCann to refund the money to the soldiers and bought Abe for the 8th Wisconsin.
Abe traveled to Camp Randall with the 8th and was carried South with the regiment upon a flag. He was carried in many of the 8th's battles including Holly Springs (where he was shot in the wing), the siege of Vicksburg, and the Red River Campaign. He returned to Madison, Wisconsin with the Regiment in 1864, given to the state, and classified as a war relic. The eagle lived in the capitol and was taken to Capitol Park when weather permitted.
After the war, Abe became a patriotic symbol and stories of his participation reached Southern and Northern newspapers and the soldiers of Wisconsin used him as a political and fundraising tool. He traveled to veterans reunions, the Northwest Sanitary Fair, Soldiers' Aid Society fundraisers, Milwaukee Soldiers Home Fair, and many other patriotic and political events. His presence was used to garner votes for presidential elections and to raise money for state and national veterans homes.
Abe's health began to decline in the 1870s. In 1875 he participated in two parades where his feathers became frozen. After this, his disposition became more cantankerous and his health declined. However, he continued to participate in events, such as the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. In February 1881, a small fire broke out in a capitol storage room, Abe's handlers reported that the smoke negatively effected him. In March of 1881, he began refusing to eat, lost strength, and died. Abe's remains were stuffed and continued to bring people to the building and later to the State Historical Society's room in the State Capitol. The eagle's body was lost in the 1904 State Capitol Fire.
