AUTHOR: Unknown
Corporal Finley Thomas Sale was born in 1836 in Wilkes County, NC. Marrying at 21, he would father 4 children before entering into Confederate service. He enlisted July 7, 1862 in Guilford County as a Private in Company D of the 5th NC Cavalry (63rd NCST).
His company saw quite a bit of action throughout the war and except for a brief illness in March of 1863 at Roxboro, he participated in all major engagements. In the last Summer of 1863 his horse was shot out from under him and he was without a horse until October. He was promoted to Corporal on March 31, 1864. Finley’s war service would come to an abrupt end after being wounded in the right arm on June 1, 1864 during the Battle of 2nd Cold Harbor. He was sent to Richmond the on June 2nd and on to Petersburg on June 3rd.
On June 5, 1864 Cpl. Sale was furloughed and sent to Raleigh, NC where he would meet the train to take him back home to Wilkes County to recuperate. His wife Fanny Madison Sale was alerted and went to Raleigh to meet the train. Unfortunately when the train arrived her beloved husband was not to be found. There was no record of him dying or where he was buried. For some time Fanny held out hope that Finley would ride back to the farm, but he never did.
