Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-10
GREAT BANJOIST
0FLEE'S ARMY.
Samuel Norman Gregory, Merry.
Maker i'm Time of War.
From Richmond Times-pIspatcb

From Richmond Times Dispstch.)
The smiling face of Samuel Moor
man Gregory is a passport to hun
dreds of Virginia homes. A contem-
porary banjoist with old Joe Sweeney,
though disabled by wounds from
Federal bullets, his banjo makes him
a welcome guest wherever he ia
known, and his anecdotes never grow
stale, and his joyous nature defies
the corroding hand of time.
An honored and respected inmate
of Lee Soldiers Home, of which
privilege none are more deserving, he
is the besou5ht guest of many friends
in the counties around Richmond,
where he is widely known. Sixty
years ago Mr.. Gregory was taught
the art of banjo playing by old Joe
Sweeney, and, as his brother, Sam
Sweeney, became famous in the tents
Of the cavalry for his magic hand on
this merry instrument, so Samuel
Moorman Gregory shared with him
the same glory around the infantry
bivouacs of the army of Lee.
"lf You Want to Have a Good
Time jine the Cavalry" sung Sam
Sweeney on the march with Stuart,
the gay cavalier. "Old Joe Hooker
Come Out of the Wilderness" car
rolled his contemporary, Gregory, in
Lees trenches around Richmond, and
each performed valuable service to
the spirits of men tried almost beyond
the endurance of the human frame.
Asa contemporary of Sam Sweeney
Mr.. Gregory won a deathless fame
as an entertainer in the army, and
was never happier than, when OBJ
tanning leave, could join Sam
Sweeney in the tent of General j. E.
B. Stuart and make merry for the
bold cavalry leader and the gay
friends who thronged his camp.
Often they played together around
the camp fire, and with those who
drank in the matchless spirit of their
music, forgot that there was eve,
such thing as war.
Mr.. Gregory is known to the Con.
federate veterans as "the only origi.
nal old-time Southern comedian OF
Lees army" And now with the in.
irmities of old age drawing near, he
is the happiest of amiable cultured
Virginia gentlemen. Long may hs
live!
He marched and fought and
played the Confederate war through
carrying Lis gun and his banjo.
He marched and sang his wal
songs of the deathless brave before
Lee, the Christian chieftain; jackson,
the rigid Covenanter, and Stuart, the
cavalier, from May, 1861, to April 4
1865.
A very few know that General Lees
army stacked their arms on the
Sweeney farm, one and a half miles
from Appomattox Courthouse.
The famous apple tree, under
which Lee was sitting when negotia.
tons were going on between him and
General Grant, was in old Joe
Sweeney's yard.
Old Joe Sweeney was the originator
of the banjo, and had the honor OF
playing before the Queen of England
lie died some years prior to the great
struggle between the States, and was
not. Stusrt's banjoist, as many sup.
posed. There were three brother.
and two sisters. None ever married
Joe, Dick and Sam.
Sam, the youngest, was with Gen.
eral j. E. B. Stuart. He died a,
Orange Courthouse during the wal
with smallpox. His banjo was Gen.
eral Stuart's favorite instrument, and
his favorite song was: eff you want
to have a good time, jine the cavalry
General Stuart had Sam Sweene,
to ride ahead of his column to play
the banjo and sing comic and senti.
mental songs to hreak the weariness
of the march.
When General Stonewall Jackson
requested General Lee to turn his
command over to "Jeb Stuart" al
the battle of Chancellorsville, Sam
Sweeney, in the midst of the fight
to the same tune (Jine the Cavalry,
sang "0ld Joe Hooker, get out the
Wilderness"
1t was in 1s45, when Mr.. Gregory
was boy visiting Appomatto1