The Charles Sweeney Cabin

Charles Sweeney, born into the musical Sweeney family in November 1837, lived with his wife Mattie Bryant Sweeney and their family in this circa 1830 frame home. He joined Company H of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry regiment in March 1862, later returned to service after wounds received at the Battle of Second Manassas, and transferred to Shoemaker's Battery of Stuart's Horse Artillery in June 1863. He received his parole at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865, then returned home, where he farmed and carried the mail from Appomattox Station to the surrounding community. He died in 1909 and was buried in the nearby cemetery. On the morning of April 9, 1865, General R. E. Lee was seen in the Sweeney orchard, seated under an old apple tree near the homestead. The cabin was also said to have been visited by Confederate cavalry commander Major General Fitzhugh Lee during his time at Appomattox Court House, and family tradition held that food was prepared there for Lee and his staff. An 1866 painting by George Frankenstein showed the area around the Sweeney family homes, including the birthplace of Joel Walker Sweeney, a popularizer of the banjo, his brothers Richard Alexander and Sampson Decatur Sweeney, and sisters Elizabeth and Missouri, as well as the homes of Robert Miller and Charles H. Sweeney. Sam and Bob Miller Sweeney served in the Confederate cavalry as musicians, Sam on banjo and Bob on fiddle at Stuart headquarters.

Appomattox, Virginia · United States