Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
John McMillan Diaries, 1862-1882
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Title
- John McMillan Diaries
- Dates
- 1862-1882 (inclusive)18621882
- Quantity
- .16 cubic feet, (1 box)
- Collection Number
- OLPb073MCM
- Summary
- These diaries were written by John McMillan, a Union Chaplain with the 109th PA Infantry during the Civil War. One of the diaries (1862) provides details of McMillan's experiences during the war. The second diary (1882) deals with McMillan's spiritual work after the War.
- Repository
-
Lewis & Clark College, Special Collections and Archives
Aubrey R. Watzek Library
615 S. Palatine Hill Rd.
Portland, OR
97219
Telephone: 5037687758
Fax: 5037687282
archives@lclark.edu - Access Restrictions
-
This collection has no restrictions and is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
John McMillan was commissioned as Chaplain in the Union Army, 109th PA Infantry in May 1862. The 109th was formed in March 1862 and mustered in at Philadelphia later in the spring. It was engaged at Cedar Mountain, in which the unit suffered heavily, less than half of its number coming away unhurt. The unit missed Antietam, being on guard duty at the time, but were engaged at Winchester. They arrived too late to fight at Fredericksburg. They remained in the Eastern Theater, being engaged at Chancellorsville, after which they transferred Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, opposite Lookout Mountain. In winter 1864, most of the unit veteranized, and after their furloughs, joined Gen. Sherman on his march to Atlanta, and on to the sea. They mustered out in Washington in July 1865.
McMillan's first journal recounts how while he was in Manassas, Confederate forces attacked in force about midnight, and he and 80 armed men were forced to surrender. After some confusion about what to do with their prisoners, their captors marched them a couple miles south, where, he states, we were halted by order of Genl. “Stonewall” Jackson, marching back to Manassas. Toward evening, he was allowed to meet Genl. Taliaferro, who ordered the chaplain released. He was then introduced to Genl. A.P. Hill, who also ordered him to be “unconditionally released.” He could return to his regiment, on the condition that he give no information about the strength or position of the Confederate units. The generals, including Taliaferro and Jackson, also examined his diary, in part to satisfy themselves that he was indeed a chaplain. McMillan discusses trying to retrieve his diary from the generals, even stating his case to Jackson, who promptly said he had no desire at all to examine my private diary and said that Genl Taliaferro would be kind enough to return it to me. McMillan also noted, I must say that as men and as gentlemen I admire Genls Jackson and A.P. Hill – the latter was peculiarly courteous to me – so all of them were. He writes at some length about how not only the Generals, but all of the Confederates that he met were kind and courteous. When they were captured, they had no food other than a few crackers late in the day. It turned out that this was all the Confederates had to eat themselves, and they had shared what little they had with their prisoners. A mere 18 hours after his capture, he was free and began making his way toward Alexandria.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Diaries.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Permission to publish, exhibit, broadcast, or quote from materials in the Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections requires written permission of the Head of Archives & Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
The John McMillan Diaries (OLPb073MCM), Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Item | ||
1 | Diary of John McMillan
4 x 6 in. black leather pocket notebook with thumb index pages at front, marbled page edges. 19pp filled in, plus misc. notes.
|
1862 |
2 | Diary of John McMillan
3.25 x 5.75 in., brown leather, pockets in front and back. Filled in to Aug. 28.
|
1882 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Religious aspects
Personal Names
- McMillan, John--Archives