From the Outposts to the Ramparts

Amidst the boredom and horror of the American Civil War, moments of shared humanity and special camaraderie often emerged. One such fascinating detail about the 58th Pennsylvania Volunteers is the story of their unusual, furry companion: a bear named “Abe.”

Colonel John Richter Jones acquired Abe near his Sullivan County, Pennsylvania home in the midst of recruiting men for a Civil War regiment. As a regimental pet, Abe was particularly appropriate because many of the recruits (including almost all of Company B) called the county home and half of the original members of the regiment hailed from similar forest regions in the central and western parts of the state.

More than a mere novelty, Abe’s presence among the soldiers of the 58th Pennsylvania played a significant role in fostering esprit d’ corps. The animal’s place was such that some soldiers even purchased stationery printed with an image of a bear alongside a martial scene.

Drummer boy William S. Webster fondly referred to the animal as “Old Abe” and Captain Lucius Rogers humorously remarked that a poor performing colleague was not “fit to carry oats to old ‘Abe’ Jones’ Bear.”

Department of North Carolina judge advocate Joseph L. Stackpole was aware of Abe and drew a comparison between the colonel and the fictional Baron of Bradwardine, whose courtyard featured a statue of a large bear. He even suggested that the motto, “Beware the bear” could be applied to Jones or the regiment, further highlighting the bear’s iconic status within the organization.

Abe was a constant companion throughout most of the regiment’s service, even after Jones’ May 1863 death. His nephew Captain Cecil Clay likely became his caretaker when he commanded at Rodman’s Point near Washington, North Carolina in early 1864. Later that spring, Abe journeyed with the 58th Pennsylvania from North Carolina to Virginia, where he accompanied the men during the Bermuda Hundred campaign, survived the June 1864 Battle of Cold Harbor and endured subsequent assaults on Petersburg.

The bear made the voyage back to Pennsylvania with the men who reenlisted and received their veterans furlough at the end of July 1864, but after the men returned to the Bermuda Hundred works in August, “Old Abe” disappeared from the regimental record, perhaps having been retired to live peacefully in his Sullivan County home when the furlough ended.