The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-19
GREAT .BANl|.J,||0|:|'||.s!|:i1''|
0FL..E|:..E|.'S|;I army
Samuel Moorct11ati Gregory,
Mcrry.Maker III Time i'' y
81 H Of War.
pupil Of OLD Joe i: SWEENEY \ &: -

Played iii Camp ii Jcb Stuart.
With His Famous Banjoist.
VA Knew Army M ovct,lcnts.
The smiling faco OF samuel Moorrnan
u Gregory Is d passport to hundreds OF VIZ r.
5slnin homes "A contemporary banjoist
We, old 100 Sweeney, though disa 81 d ' 90 y
n BY wounds from Federal blletsfshils
banjo makes him welcome guest w her
ever lc Is known, nnd his anecdotes 'ctlct 's:'
never grow stale, and Ills Joyous nature li'
" defies the corroding hand Of time
s: An honornd and respected minute Q
Ice Soldiers Home. OF which privilege
none are more deserving, lie liz the be-
I. sought guest Of many friends In the coun-
n tics around Richmond where he is widely
Known sixty years al o Mr. n Gregory was
taught tho nrt Of banjo playing ~. old
Joe Sweeney. and, as his trothe ia ga ~ i
4 Sweeney, became famous IN tho tents
is OF tho cavalry for his magic hand on
'tt,ia merry instrument, SO Samuel Moor
man Gregory shared witt him tho same
glory around the infantry: biyouncS q
tho army OF Lee.
,.If You Went to Have a Good Timo jlnci
n tho Cavalry sung Sam Sweeney on the
mdrcili with Stuart tho gay cnvalicr.
..''OId 100 Hooker Como Out or the w ider-
& ness. 2 carroled his Iltempora ~, e
CORY, III Lees trenches around Richmond,
rand each performed a valuable service
10 he spirits Of fmer, tried almost beyond
a the endurance OF the human frame. NJ 5S$5
35i ggy3 81 MAKING 6NiklR r. y.
~ Az a contemporary OF Sam Sweeney Mr.
Il Gregory won Ii dcnthlcss fame as an en- Y
tertainor IN tho army, and wei never
happier than, when obtaining leave, 3couln
4 Join Sam Sweeney In tho tent Of General
& j. 4 =. 3. Stuart and make merry for the
bold cavalry leader Ind tho gay friends
who throngcd his camp. S3. S3$
.4s Often they played together round the
II camp fire. and with those who drank In
the matchless spirit Of their music, forgot
that there was ever such aSthing as war
Alr. @ regory IS known to the confeder-i
ate veterans as "tfe only original! old
lime southern comedian 81 Lees army,
Aud now With tho infirmlues Of old age.
drawing near, lie Is the hnppiest Of ami
( nblc cultured Virginia gentlemen. Long
I'll may he live! ;5 5s s
/ y3 1ie marched and fought and played the
Confederate war through, carrying his
" gun aid his banjo III N NJ # 33s
fie marched and sang his war songs
OF n thes dcathless brave before Lee, the
I. Christian chieftain; q ackson, tho rigid
coycnanter. and Stuart. the cavalier.
from May, 1851 }. 10 April Y, 41se5. .%S4
i58 a very. few know, that General Lees
h army stacked their arms on the Sweeney
Il farm, one aud n hal ( miles from Apo
..Inuttox Courthouse. Z. h. Il X & 55.s
M OLD JOE SWEENEY.
38} rho IL famous apple n tree. under. which
4 Leo rvas Sit ting when Ilegoti lions were
\ going on between him and General Grant
X was in old Joe sweeneys yard. N
II s Old Joe Sweeney was the originat or. pr
the banjo. and had the honor Of playing
before the Queen OF England. He died
some years prior to The great struggle
Il between tho States, and was not Stuart's;
4 nan joist. as many upposed. # There we're
X three brothers and two sisters None;
eyer married Joe, Dick and Sam. 5
Dick died In washington. d, c.. from
\ hemorrhage Of he8lungs while perform
ing on the stage. Sam. he youngest, was
with General W. "a f.. 3. S stuart. Heg He'd
at Orange Courthouse during the war
with smallpox. His banjo was \ General:
y stuart's favorte instrument and his 70 "a
& yorite song was:&'lfSyou wan TO have a.
good time. line the cavalry.
I, General Stuart had Sam Sweeney %
ride ahead of his column 10 N play the
\ banjo and sing comic and sentimental
!, songs to break the weariness OF the
march. 3 Sfa5 isf8
& When General stonewall Jackson re-
5ruested + General Lee to turn his COM
Il mand over to .Jeb Stuart" mt the battle
&pf characteristics Sam Sweeney IN
tho midst OF tho fight, togthe same tune
Cline the Cavalry sang .'old Joe Hooker,
get ont the Wilderness.
Il was III 1915, when Mr.. Gregory was q
boy visiting Appomattox county @ guest
N 81 tic Sweeney family that he got his
FIRST idea Of playing the banjo from, old
Toe, the elder brother. and he plays
sweeney's original songs to-day with In
z imitable grace and spirit.
Mr. Gregory followed the fortunes OF
ii General Lee, and participated In lithe
battles with Mahone's division, and he
was always tho life OF the camp. He
gave entertainments for the officers and
soldiers of Mal,one's division and cheered
many weary hearts with his banjo, and
drove caro- and sorrow from their
thoughts. s4 5Es w q: 4: ,4ss X
KNOWN IN THE WHOLE ARMY.
Every soldier and officer lii A1ahonc's
Division we'll knew Norman Gregory.
They can remember his Jokes on the
march and after tho battle. MS If it were
yesterday. Ono Of his jokes was with
General Jubal Early on Clark's Noun
tain, and canle near getting him into
trouble. At tho signal corps station, Mr..
Gregory took General Early fora farmer,
while tho general was looking through
field glasses at tho enemy campcd on the
other side OF tho Rapidan River.
I Mr. Gregory said to him.: L VI .;