William Patterson Bane
{{Short description|Tallest soldier claimant (1843–1912)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = William Patterson Bane
| image = William Patterson Bane - Big Pat Bane.png
| alt = Photograph of William Patterson Bane
| caption = Undated photograph of William Patterson Bane
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1843|08|14}}
| birth_place = Washington County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1912|03|16|1843|08|14}}
| death_place = Washington County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| other_names = {{unbulleted list|Big Pat Bane|Greene County Giant}}
| known_for = Claim to be the tallest soldier in the American Civil War
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| signature = William Patterson Bane signature.png
}}
William Patterson Bane (August 14, 1843 – March 16, 1912) was an American soldier noted for his height. He was considered the tallest soldier to have fought in the American Civil War, but was shorter than Martin Van Buren Bates.
Life
File:Big Pat The Philadelphia Inquirer.png on December 9, 1900.]]
William Patterson Bane was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania,{{sfn|Tucker|2025}} on August 14, 1843,{{sfn|Obituary|1912}} the son of William Bane.{{sfn|enlist|1912}} His father was a justice of the peace in Dallas, West Virginia.{{sfn|father|1908}} Bane's family were Scotch-Irish Americans and he had a brother who died in the American Civil War.{{sfn|Birth|1898}}
In June 1862, Patterson enlisted into the Union army{{sfn|enlist|1912}} and assigned to the 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, but did not participate in any close fighting.{{sfn|Tucker|2025}} He was a farmer and initially received a military pension of $12 per month before his unsuccessful appeal to increase it to $30 resulted it in being increased to $17.{{sfn|Tucker|2025}}{{sfn|pension|1909|p=358}} In 1907, U.S. Representative Ernest F. Acheson proposed legislation to increase Bane's pension to $36.{{sfn|Acheson|1907}}
Bane's height received coverage in newspapers across the United States as the tallest soldier in the Civil War and he received the nicknames Big Pat Bane and Greene County Giant. However, Martin Van Buren Bates was taller than him. His military records listed different heights ranging from 6 feet 5 inches on his enlistment records to over 8 feet according to The Day Book. Neely Tucker stated that the listing of 6 feet 9 inches on his surgeon's certificate was the most consistent height given for him and that his shorter height on the enlistment record might have been used to circumvent medical regulations.{{sfn|Tucker|2025}} He attended the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, and declined offers to be an attraction.{{sfn|Fair|1904}}
Bane suffered from bronchitis later in life{{sfn|Tucker|2025}} and died in Washington County, on March 16, 1912.{{sfn|Obituary|1912}}
References
{{reflist}}
Works cited
=Newspapers=
- {{Cite news |date=March 18, 1912 |title=Death of "Pat" Bane |page=4 |work=The Daily Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald/167644882/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|enlist|1912}}}}
- {{Cite news |date=January 25, 1898 |title=Good Stories For All |page=8 |work=The Boston Globe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/167644719/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|Birth|1898}}}}
- {{Cite news |date=January 31, 1907 |title=In Behalf of "Pat." |page=4 |work=Monongahela Valley Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/monongahela-valley-republican/167645180/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|Acheson|1907}}}}
- {{Cite news |date=November 3, 1904 |title=Pays Visit To The Exposition |page=1 |work=The Daily Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald/167645076/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|Fair|1904}}}}
- {{Cite news |date=March 21, 1912 |title=William Patterson Bane Death |page=4 |work=The Waynesburg Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-waynesburg-republican/167643496/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|Obituary|1912}}}}
- {{Cite news |date=August 17, 1908 |title=Would Not Be Vaccinated |page=4 |work=The Daily Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald/167645128/ |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{harvid|father|1908}}}}
=Web=
- {{Cite web |date=July 14, 1909 |title=Approved Pension File for Private William P. Bane, Company A, 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment (SC-354483) |work=National Archives and Records Administration |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/472306444?objectPage=358 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310080245/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/472306444?objectPage=358 |archive-date=March 10, 2025 |ref={{harvid|pension|1909}}}}
- {{Cite news |last=Tucker |first=Neely |author-link=Neely Tucker |date=February 18, 2025 |title=Big Pat Bane, Tallest Soldier in the Civil War? |work=Library of Congress |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/02/big-pat-bane-the-tallest-soldier-in-the-civil-war/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250310065206/https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2025/02/big-pat-bane-the-tallest-soldier-in-the-civil-war/ |archive-date=March 10, 2025}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bane, William Patterson}}