1862-1865 Sensational American Civil War Diary of an Indiana Man Captured in Combat and Sent to the Castle Thunder Prison with Additional 1882 Content of His Trip West En Route to Moscow, Idaho

On offer is the remarkable American Civil War diary of Gillis James McBane (sometimes McBean) (1829-1914), an Indiana man who served in Company G, 73rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry from July 19, 1862 through July 1, 1865. In this detailed diary, McBane writes of repeated combat under the Union colors. He fought in some of the most brutal battles of the Civil War including The Battles of Stones River, Decatur, Perryville, Athens, and others. He was captured in combat and sent to the notorious Castle Thunder Confederate prison. Sometimes starving, other times pushed to the edge of utter exhaustion, he recorded it all in this diary. [SEE BIO NOTES AT END OF LISTING FOR MORE ON MCBANE].  

McBane begins his diary two days after enlisting in his birthplace of Longsport, Indiana, and maintains it (sometimes intermittently) until 10 days after his honorable discharge. He then picks the diary back up in 1882, a few years after the death of the brother with whom he lived, and writes of his journey west to Walla Walla, Washington, which is where he lived briefly before moving to Moscow, Idaho, buying land along Potlach Creek and living out his days as a respected community member. 

The bulk of the diary is focused on his service in the Civil War. He describes life in the camps, on the march and, crucially, being in combat and the terrible privations suffered after he was taken prisoner. His descriptions could be text to accompany Matthew Brady’s iconic, stark photographs of death and destruction in the Civil War...and then there are the remarkable descriptions of the battles themselves.

​​On December 31, 1862, McBane was taken prisoner at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee. It was a battle so bloody that within 20 minutes of fighting, the 73rd regiment lost one-third of its men. He records in detail the battle, his capture and his journey on foot and train with his fellow captors and guards to Castle Thunder Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia. He was sent from Castle Thunder to Libby prison just a week before being transferred to the Union-controlled parole camp at Fortress Monroe, where he was assigned work as a cook and carpenter. He was sent to re-join his Regiment in December, 1863. In 1864 he served in Nashville and in 1865 he served in Alabama, where he was mustered out in July. 

The depth and quality of McBane’s entries cannot be overstated. Some excerpts are presented here to give the flavour of the diary, though excerpts do not capture the gestalt of this terrific piece. 

“...We marched at 6 a.m. Went through the battlefield. The ground was covered with the dead. The hospitals was all full of dead and dying. We then marched in line of battle and heavy firing on our right and left. Went into camp at 2 p.m. Rain all afternoon. Co. G went out on picket. I took charge of the outside post of Co. G. We built rail pen and covered with fodder. I laid down and tried to sleep. Too cool and wet” [Oct 10, 1862]. 

“Still finds us traveling slow. 30 miles from Richmond. Had one fight in my car last night. Rained all night. 11 a.m. we are now laying 13 miles from town waiting other troops to leave before we enter town. We arrive in Richmond 3 p.m. March up Main Street and stood at Rockett’s [Landing] and stood in the ranks till they find some place to put us. 6 p.m. Now we go into old tobacco factory (Castle Thunder). Plenty tobacco. Draw rations, ½ loaf bread, little beef, mess of. In squads of 20. Cold” [Jan 16, 1863].

"Up early. Cold. Could not sleep. Walk the floor till daylight. Bought tin cup, paid 4 loaves of bread. The day spent hunting body guards.* Rumors [that] Illinois and Indiana [were] going to secede from the Union, clipped from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Cheers the secesh. Gloomy day. I was detailed to bring grub at night. A general row took place with the prisoners. New General in command of prisoners. General starvation" [Jan 22, 1863].

“Go out to recapture 500 prisoners. Rained hard all day. Could not overtake them. March all night in rain. In camp 11 p.m...Go out on picket 9 p.m. Struck tents and take train for the recapture of Athens and arrived midnight in the vicinity of Athens [Alabama]. Picketed till day break, then advanced. The few Rebs skedaddled on our approach” [Sept 27-28, 1864]. 

“Co. G on picket at 2 p.m. [Brigadier] General [Abraham] Buford [of Forrest’s command] with 4,000 attacked our picket and drove them in. We fell back to the fort [Fort Henderson] and skirmished until midnight and it raining hard. At daybreak (the 2nd) the enemy opened out on us with four pieces of artillery. We responded with our two. We kept up a brisk cannonading until 11 a.m.. when General Buford sent in a flag of truce for our surrender but was answered no. and repulsed by our inferior number (500) and driven from the field. We put out our pickets to bed” [Oct 1-2, 1864]. 

“Indianapolis. Great solemnity prevails over the death of President Lincoln. Be it remembered the President of the U. S. A. was assassinated and died this 3 o’clock a.m. Indianapolis in drapery. Speeches at State House at 11 a.m. by Gov. Morton, Gov. Wright, McDonal at 10 p.m. Took train for Dixie. Arrived at Jeffersonville next morn 6 a.m.” [April 15, 1865]. 

For a collection focused on the American Civil War, this diary is an outstanding, firsthand description of the daily events in the life of a Union soldier. For anyone wanting to own an authentic piece of American history, this diary takes you into and through some of the most pivotal events in the history of the young Republic. This diary would also be of value to anyone interested in Indiana or Idaho history, as McBane was a resident of both great states. Please note that McBane does not record his name anywhere in the diary. Contextual clues directly point to this being McBane’s diary. 

This diary measures 6.0x3.75 inches and contains 122 pages. The spine is loose and the front cover has detached from the spine. The binding is glued and sewn and is completely intact as are all of the pages. The pages are in good condition and the handwriting is quite legible. Overall Fair. Provenance: purchased directly from the collection of Sally Ivey, American manuscript collector and podcaster. Ivey partnered with "Spared and Shared", a historical website featuring manuscript transcriptions, to transcribe only the Civil War content of this diary and it is currently published. Sally Ivey has featured this diary on her “Diary Discoveries” podcast, which is available for download. 

BIO NOTES: Gillis James McBane was born in Logansport, IN in December of 1829. According to a number of published sources, including an article on his passing in the Idaho’s Daily Star-Mirror, McBane was “the first white child” born in Longsport. He joined the Union army on July 19, 1862 and served until July 1, 1865 when he was honourably discharged. Following his discharge, he continued to live in the Logansport area until 1882, a few years after his older brother Thomas (1823-1878) died, when he decided to follow the American dream of heading west. Recorded in a second portion of his diary, he travelled by train and ferry to Walla Walla, Washington in 1882. After a brief stay there, he moved Moscow, Idaho to a piece of land he had purchased. Never marrying or having children, he lived the remainder of his life there, passing away in 1914 at the age of 84. He was a member of the IOOF Lodge No. 36, Cresent Encampment, No. 12, of the Rebekah Star, No. 15, and also of the Major Anderson Post No. 5 of the GAR.