Sampson County NcArchives Obituaries.....Gregory, J. T. 1919
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Robert Fortner rfortner@centurylink.net May 21, 2018, 9:12 am

News & Observer May 4th, 1919

"SAMPSON COUNTY OLDEST VETERAN IS DEAD"

J. T. Gregory, Whose Act of Devotion, Saved Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee

Clinton, May  3-1919, Sampson county's oldest Confederate veteran is dead. 
This is Mr. J. T. Gregory, whose simple act of devotion saved the life General 
Robert E. Lee at the battle of the Wilderness, in May. 1864.
  From the Sampson Democrat of November 26,1914, the following the following 
detailed statement of the army career of Mr. Gregory is copied, including an 
account of his recognition and the conformation of the historic event, alluded 
to the above at the Macon, Ga., reunion of Confederate veterans.
  "In the issue, of  March 21, 1912, the Democrat, published the war record of 
Mr. J. T. Gregory. In May, of the same year, Mr. Gregory attended a reunion of 
the Confederate veterans at Macon, Ga., at which reunion this record was read. 
It happened, that there were in the audience three members of Mr. Gregory's 
company, Company E., Third Arkansas regiment, that they all arose from their 
seats and stated that the record was true in every detail. Such a verification 
of his record was very gratifying to Mr. Gregory, and it is with a great deal 
of pleasure that the Democrat publishes again a resume of his record. During 
the course of the war, Mr. Gregory was wounded three times. Once he was 
wounded in the head, once in the forearm, and in one engagement he was so 
severely wounded in the leg that it had to be amputated.
   "But there is one instance in his record that that raises him above the 
record of the private soldier, which incident occurred in the Battle of the 
Wilderness, which occurred May 5th and 6th 1864. In the course of this battle, 
Hood's Brigade of which Mr. Gregory was a member, was ordered to take a Yankee 
position. Probably on account of some delay, General Lee rode up and said that 
he was going to lead the charge in person. Knowing the dependence of the 
Confederacy was upon General Lee and reckless of his own danger, Private 
Gregory stepped from the trenches and grasped the bridle of General Lee's 
horse, and refused to let him lead the charge to almost certain death. Though 
General Lee protested, Private Gregory held on till his colonel, Colonel 
Manning and persuaded the General to, go to the rear. This act, which beyond a 
doubt saved the life of General Lee, is one any man may be proud."
  Mr. Gregory passed away Wednesday night April 30, lying in a state of 
partial coma for several days. His body in state in his home Thursday covered 
with a beautiful wrought flag of the Stars and Bars, till four o'clock, when 
it was laid to rest in the Clinton Cemetery, in the presence of a host of his 
relatives, comrades and friends.
  Mr. Gregory, though handicapped by the loss of a leg, after coming out of 
the war married and set up a tailoring shop, where for a half a century, he 
toiled faithfully to support himself and family, aided only by the pittance 
received as a pension. His difficulties were augmented in those days by the 
fact that he was rearing a family of six girls and not a single son, at which 
period a girl was hopelessly debarred from profitable employment. But aided by 
his faithful and competent wife, he saw them all to grow to maturity and 
become the wives of good and honorable men. 
  Of these six daughters only Addie, or Mrs. Roscoe, has preceded their father 
to the grave. The other five, Mrs. Hattie McMillan. of McRae Ga.; Mrs. Sallie 
Nutting of Macon Ga.;  Mrs.  Bishop, of Blodgett, Miss.; Mrs. Lessie Smith, of 
Brownsville Fla. and Mrs. Sink, who has resided with her father during his 
latter days and faithfully and tenderly cared for him, were all present, as 
was Mr. Henry Roscoe, the son of his daughter Addie and his half sister, Miss 
Grady Roscoe both of Wadesboro, this State.
   Mrs. Gregory, who was formerly Miss Julia Ann Peterson, a daughter of the 
late Stephen Peterson and a aunt of Col. Geo. Peterson, preceded her husband 
to the grave by something  more than a year.
   Mr. Gregory was past his 87th year when he fell asleep.

  (Note; John Thomas Gregory was a son of the late Elijah & Sarah Duncan 
Gregory, who lived on Rowan Swamp, Sampson County, NC also the grandson of 
Revolutionary Soldier, Lott Gregory, who lived near Turkey NC.)

J. T. Gregory was a brother of my great Grandmother Elizabeth Gregory Fortner 
(1840-1911) wife of John Everett Fortner (1826-1896)


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