Biography of General Joseph Finnegan

Late-comers to the Third Corps and Army of Northern Virginia, the brigade of Joseph Finnegan saw service earlier in the War in Florida.

Born in Clone, Ireland on November 17, 1814, Finnegan migrated to Florida when he was in his early 20s. He first established himself as a planter, then built a lumber mill. He then moved to Fernandina and was associated with Senator David Yulee in building railroads. He was a member of the secession convention in 1861 and was put in charge of military affairs for the state by Governor Milton.

On April 5, 1862, Finnegan was appointed as a Confederate general. He commanded the District of Middle and East Florida until after the battle of Olustee, where he was nominally in charge.

Finnegan was then transferred with a brigade of Florida troops to the Army of Northern Virginia in May 1864. Finnegan took part in the battle of Cold Harbor and continued to serve with the Third Corps and the Army of Northern Virginia through the siege of Petersburg. On March 20, 1865, however, he was again ordered to Florida, where he finished out the War.

After the War, Finnegan served in the state senate from 1865 to 1866. He also took up business as a cotton broker in Savannah, Georgia. He spent his last years of his life in Florida. He died in Rutledge on October 29, 1885. General Finnegan is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.