No Wake for Finegan?

A Christmas Killing

A Seneca County, New York newspaper in January, 1862 included this Boxing Day letter home:

From the Thirty-Third Regiment

CAMP GRIFFIN, 33D REGIMENT, Co. K.

Dec. 26, 1861.

I improve the opportunity of writing you this morning. Yesterday being Christmas, of course, our friends at home enjoyed themselves with their accustomed hilarity. Not so here. We had no roast turkey or goose, the only luxury being a taste of a little Old Rye sent from home to Sergeant Martin. – All in all it was a sad Christmas for our Company, in consequence of an unfortunate and fatal occurrence that took place in our camp. It seems that on the night before Christmas a private named Joseph Finegan and Corporal John Tobin got into a dispute in regard to their tents. So after this Finegan attempted to extinguish a fire in a sort of ravine near the fire place itself, and in doing this it happened accidentally that some dirt was thrown into Tobin’s coffee, who was sitting nearby, eating his supper. He then applied some harsh epithet to Finegan at the same time arresting the shovel from his hand, which had been used in throwing dirt on the fire, pushed him into the tent and struck him a violent blow on the head. The blow produced an ugly wound, and The Surgeon was immediately called to dress it; some two hours after the occurrence the physician was again sent for to stop if possible, the profuse bleeding of the wounded soldier. An effort was made to get him into The Hospital, but that institution was so full that it was deemed best not to send him there. He was then taken to the Captain’s tent, and about 6 o’clock in the morning the Captain told me to procure a light for he thought Finegan was dead. – Upon an examination it proved too true, he was dead! Tobin was placed under arrest, to await the results of the investigation now going on. We wish to ascertain whether Finegan has any relations in Seneca Falls or vicinity. The Captain has $33 of his money, and there is now due him two months wages from the Government, which they should receive,

Yours, &c.

M.

Result of getting dirt in corporal's coffee

Apparently the investigation into Corporal Tobin’s conduct did not find any wrongdoing:

I’m not sure whether or not Camp Griffin had any activities like football and chasing a greased pig to help the troops blow off some steam. Being away from family and friends, the lack of decisive action had to be getting on people’s nerves. Apparently the Old Rye wasn’t enough.

Not too many images of Old Rye out there. The following uses the bottle as part of an indictment of the Confederacy. Certainly northern troops liked whiskey, too. If you click on the image you can check out the description of all the image elements at the Library of Congress.

Old Rye used in CSA, too (click for details)

Joseph Finegan was also the name of a Confederate general from Florida.