Creator: Finley, Robert Stuart, 1838-1868.
Collection number: 3685
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Abstract: Primarily Civil War letters from Robert Stuart Finley to his fiancee, Mary A. Cabeen, and miscellaneous military and other papers. Finley was a member of the 30th Illinois Infantry, serving in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. The letters give full descriptions of his activities and surroundings. Places mentioned include Fort Donelson and Jackson, Tenn.; Camp Logan, La.; Vicksburg, Miss., Athens, Atlanta, Big Shanty, and East Point, Ga.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Pocotaligo and Beaufort, S.C. Finley participated in the Atlanta Campaign and in Sherman’s March through the Carolinas. Also included are two letters concerning Richard H. Cabeen (d. 1864), one telling of military actions near Dalton, Ga., and the other informing his father of his death. Postwar items include papers relating to Finley’s military service, his marriage license, and biographical information about him.
Repository: Southern Historical Collection
Collection Highlights: One letter discusses black soldiers coming under fire in Tennessee (1862).