The State Library has launched a public appeal to raise $100,000 to buy the diary of an officer aboard the CCS Shenandoah, a Confederate raider vessel that docked at Williamstown on January 25, 1865.
The Shenandoah was allowed into Williamstown to make repairs to its propeller bearings, which had been damaged in a storm.
Opinion at the time was divided over whether to label the crew pirates or heroes.
The crew had been tasked with sinking Yankee whaling ships because they were fighting the northern states.
While the US consul in Melbourne fumed at the presence of a ship known for burning its whaling fleets, the public was in awe.
Thousands lined the docks of Williamstown to catch a glimpse of the ship and, when it departed, 42 local men stowed away to join the crew.
Now, the library has been given the opportunity to buy the newly-discovered diary of Lieutenant Dabney Scales, which includes candid accounts about officers mixing with Victorians, and the ship’s journey after leaving Williamstown.
The diary’s current owner is Melbourne rare books dealer Douglas Stewart, who has allowed the library to house it while it attempts to raise funds for its purchase.
State Library chief executive Kate Torney said the diary was a remarkable document written aboard the vessel that fired the last shot of the Civil War – fired, quite possibly, by an Australian.
“The Shenandoah diary is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a collection for Victoria that directly connects us with one of the major historical events of the 19th century, the American Civil War,” she said.
More information about the diary and the library’s special appeal can be found online at slv.vic.gov.au/donate
