Finney, Walter, 1748-1820, Farmers--Pennsylvania--Chester County, United States--Army--Military life, United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783, Virginia--History--Revolution, 1775-1783, North Carolina--History--Revolution, 1775-1783, South Carolina--History--Revolution, 1775-1783, Georgia--History--Revolution, 1775-1783, Slavery
The second diary (February 1782 – June 1783) finds Walter Finney in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia during the Revolution. Themes in the first diary—particularly camp life, topographical comments, and troop movements—carry over into the second. Relating to camp life, he notes one particularly stern punishment of the troops involved Sergeant Gessner, who was executed for promoting mutiny. In June of 1782, he noted thoughts on the arability of South Carolina. Slavery garnered his attention: “Labour of all kinds, mechanical as well as Agriculture, is parform’d by Negroes, this policy being still thought best, evry exertion is Us’d to increase their numbers, it is not uncommon for one man to own Fifty working negroes at once.” Joseph Lee Boyle, a military historian who worked at Valley Forge Historical Park for more than a dozen years, transcribed the first two volumes of Finney’s diaries and published them with commentary in New Jersey History, vol. 121, nos. 1-4, 2003, pp. 23-81 and South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 98, no. 2, 1997, pp. 126-152.
