Show BARBARA FRIETCHIE HEROINE OR R MYTH TH I II By ELMO ELl SCOTT WATSON VATSON SEPTEMBER morning 75 years ago Through the streets of the little city of Frederick Md marched a column column column col col- of soldiers wearing the gray uniform of the armies of the Confederate States of America Their commander was Gen Thomas J. J Jackson since t the Battle of Bull Run renewed as Stonewall Jackson In Frederick lived a woman named Barbara Frietchie six ninety-six years old At the outbreak of the Civil war she had declared The Union of the States will vill be maintained God takes care of His people and He will vill take care of this country cO I She had frequently repeated that belief In a city of divided allegiances she had remained intensely loyal to the Union and andas as proof of her loyalty she frequently displayed an American I flag from the window of her home These statements can be accepted as facts as matters of historical record But when you go beyond them you find yourself in a maze of fiction and fact of assertions assertions assertions asser- asser and denials of contradictions contradictions contra- contra dictions and controversy All this has resulted from a poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier which has taken its place along with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's I r Paul Reveres Revere's Ride Rider and andr s r I r tit St StI t S i Ilz lr I t f fBARBARA J BARBARA FRIETCHIE I Thomas Buchanan Reads Read's Ride among Americas America's favorite patriotic patriotic patriotic patri otic recitations How much truth is there in Whittier's Whittlers poem Did the incident incident incident in in- described in it actually actually actu actu- ally take place as he has told it If not on what basis of fact does his poetic version rest This article based upon a varied collection of evidence and an evaluation of that evi evidence evidente dence dente is an attempt to answer answer answer an an- those questions First of all let it be recorded that Dame Barbaras Barbara's name was Fritchie despite the fact that common usage has made Frietchie Frietchie Frietchie Friet chie the accepted spelling It ItIs Itis is occasionally spelled Freit chie also She was born in Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Lan Lan- caster Pa on December 3 1766 the daughter of and Catherine Catherine Cath- Cath II erine Hauer who had emigrated emigrated emigrated em em- from Germany to Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania in 1754 She was baptized on December 14 1766 and given the name of Barbara for her sponsor sponsor sponsor spon spon- sor Barbara Gamber moved with his family his wife another daughter Catherine and a son Jacob to Frederick Md in 1767 or 1768 and there Barbara Hauer grew up One of the great events in her early life according to a well-authenticated well tradition was wasa a visit by George Washington to Frederick in 1791 The first President President President Pres Pres- ident spent the night at the tavern there and his dinner was served to him by the prettiest girls of the village among them Barbara Hauer According to the story Washington was so impressed by her appearance and pleasant manners that he presented her with a beautiful china bowl which she treasured as long as she lived An Old Maid Despite Barbara Hauers Hauer's beauty beauty beau beau- ty however she does not seem ito to have been much s sought after by the young men of or Frederick I At any rate in an era of early marriages she postponed hers until until un un- til ill she was an nn old maid of forty On May 6 1806 she was married to John Casper Fritchie I who was the proprietor of a glove factory and incidentally 14 years i younger than his bride 1 Shortly before the Civil war i I when Dame Barbara was past pastI I ninety years of age her cousin 1 Miss Harriet Yoner was installed rl lin in her home as a companion probably probably probably ably by her nieces Mrs Kitty 3 Hanshew e and Miss Caroline y Ebert As previously related o Dame iDame Barbara was intensely byal loyal loyl loy- loy al l to the Union o Lees Lee's Invasion On September 5 Lees Lee's army crossed the Potomac singing N Maryland My Maryland The main body camped at Frederick Junction three miles south of Frederick but a large portion of the army including the forces commanded by Stonewall Jackson Jackson Jackson Jack Jack- son marched through the town and camped at Worman's Vorman's Mill two miles north For three days the Confederates remained in inand inand inand and around Frederick Then early earlyon on the morning of September 10 the army broke camp and began to move west marching out on West Vest Patrick street which took them past the home of Dame Barbara But Stonewall Jackson Jackson Jackson Jack Jack- son was not with his troops when they reached her home He had left the line at West Vest Second street and ridden up to the Presbyterian Presbyterian Presbyterian Presby Presby- terian parsonage where lived the Rev Dr Ross Under the door of the parsonage an orderly slipped this note Regret not being permitted to see Dr and Mrs Ross but could not expect to have that pleasure at so unseasonable an hour T. T. T J. J Jackson September 10 1862 1862 a. a m. m As he rejoined the column which had halted a sudden excitement excitement excitement ex ex- ex- ex broke out toward the rear The word passed up along the line that an old lady was shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing a Yankee flag right in their faces and defying them to take it away from her Order was soon restored and at the comm command nd Forward march Forward march the long gray column filed out of town What Happened It was not until some time later that Dame Barbara confessed to her niece Caroline Ebert what had happened Her account of this incident was substantially as follows Early that morning some people people people peo peo- had rushed up to her door and told her to get out her flag because because because be be- cause the soldiers were coming Hearing the tramp of marching men and believing that they were Union soldiers she took her little silk flag from between the leaves of her Bible and stepped out on the porch where she began to wave the banner Immediately an officer rode up saying Granny give me your flag You cant can't have it replied replied replied re re- re- re plied Dame Barbara then noticing noticing noticing ing the gray uniforms she began waving it more energetically than ever The officer spoke to his men and they turned facing her For a moment she believed that they were going to fire on her but she continued to wave her flag Y Yr alb 1 r rAA AA Then the officer rode on a short distance and returned with another another another an an- other officer This officer said to her Give me your flag Granny and Ill I'll stick it in my horses horse's head No you cant can't have it replied Dame Barbara whereupon whereupon whereupon where where- upon one of or the soldiers shouted Shoot her damned head ofT off I IThe The officer turned angrily upon him saying If you harm a hair of her head Ill I'll shoot you down like a dog Then turning to the theold theold theold old lady he said Go on Granny wave your flag as much as you please and a moment later gave the order for the troops to march on This is the story which is given in A Sketch of Barbara Frietchie Frietchie Friet- Friet chie chic a booklet written by Miss Eleanor D. D Abbott a great grandniece grandniece grandniece grand- grand niece of Dame Barbara and it is substantiated by the later testimony testimony mony of Confederate soldiers who C ir w NS j f b N wb r. r k ki r k C 24 i v i ra w. w A- A y r.- r. u N Restored home of Barbara Frietchie in Frederick Md Shown at atthe atthe atthe the window with the flag is her grandniece Mrs Julia II H. Abbott were in the column which halted in front of her house and witnessed witnessed witnessed wit wit- her flag Among them was Capt Frank Myers who asserted that he was the officer of of- fleer who forbade the soldiers to fire upon her Three days after the Confederates Confederates Confederates left Frederick Union troops commanded by Gen A. A E. E Burnside the advance of McClellan's McClellan's McClellan's Mc- Mc Clellan's army entered the city Dame Barbaras Barbara's feat was common common common com com- mon talk among the citizens and when Gen Jesse Lee Reno heard about it he called on the old lady who showed him two flags One of them was the small silk flag which she had waved at the Confederates Confederates Confederates Con Con- federates and the other was a large cotton banner which she had on occasion displayed from froma a window in the attic of her home Her Flags Preserved She gave General Reno the large cotton flag and after he was killed at the Battle of South Mountain the next day it was sent with his body to his home in Boston Later members of the Reno family presented it to the Massachusetts of the Loyal Legion of the United States and it is still on display in the headquarters of that organization organization organization or- or or or- in Boston The little silk flag is now in the possession of Miss Abbott who lives in the reconstructed Barbara Frietchie home in Frederick e Those who have doubted the Barbara Frietchie legend have asserted that Stonewall Jackson Jackson Jackson Jack Jack- son did not pass her house and had no part in the waving flag-waving incident which is true In the opinion of this writer the story as told by Dame Barbara Barbara Barbara Bar Bar- bara to Catherine Ebert preserved preserved preserved pre pre- served in Miss Abbotts Abbott's booklet and substantiated by Confederate soldiers who were there at the time and by Union soldiers who heard of the incident three days after it happened is more convincing convincing convincing con con- than the statement attributed attributed attributed at at- to Valerius Ebert How then does it happen that there has been and still is so much controversy controversy controversy con con- over the Barbara Frietchie legend That is due to the inaccuracies in Whittier's poem but he is not so much responsible for those errors as is Mrs E E. D. D E E. E N. N Southworth a famous American novelist of those days Her part partin in it came about in this manner Catherine Ebert told the story of her aunts aunt's heroic deed to her cousin cousin cousin in a Mr Ramsberg who was living living living liv liv- ing in Washington D. D C. C He in turn told it to a newspaper reporter reporter reporter re re- re- re porter and it subsequently appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap in a Washington per He also told the story to his neighbor Mrs Southworth who was then living in Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown George George- town D. D C. C and she wrote to Whittier at his home in Amesbury Amesbury Ames Ames- bury Mass as follows When Lees Lee's army occupied Frederick Fred erick crick the only Union flag flog displayed inthe Inthe in inthe the city was held by Mrs Barbara Fritchie a widow lady Indy of six ninety years Such was the paragraph which went the rounds of the Washington papers papers pa pa- pers last September Some time afterward after after- ward from friends who were in Frederick Fred crick erick at the Ume time I heard the tho whole story It was the story of a wom womans woman's lD's heroism which when hoard seemed as ns much to belong to you as a book picked up with your autograph on the fly So here it is Mrs Southworth then gave an account of the entrance of Lees Lee's army into Frederick and their cool reception quoting the official record that the town wore a achurch church churchyard ard She aspect continued continued continued con con- But Mrs Barbara Fritchie taking one of the Union flags went up to the top of the house opened a garret window window win win- dow and held It forth The rebel army marched up the street saw the flag the order was given Halt Fire I and anda a volley was discharged at the window from which it was displayed The flag flagstaff flagstaff flagstaff staff was partly broken so that the flag ag drooped the old lady drew it in broke of off the fragment and taking the stump with the nag flag ag still sun attached to ItIn it itIn itIn In her hand stretched herself as ns far out of the window as she could held the Stars and Stripes s nt at arms arm's length waving over the rebels and cried out in a voice of indignation and sorrow Fire at it this old head hend then boys It Is not more vener venerable than your flag flae They fired no more but passed on In silence and she secured the flag in its place where it remained unmolested during the whole of the rebel occupation occupation occupation tion of the city Stonewall would not permit her to be troubled Garbled Versions From this it will be observed that Mrs Southworth S had received received received re re- re- re from friends who were in Frederick at the time a garbled version of what had actually taken taken taken tak tak- en place or perhaps had reported it inaccurately herself in writing to Whittier She has Barbara climbing up to the top of the house something of a feat in itself for a year six woman whereas the testimony of witnesses eye-witnesses is that the old woman stood on her front porch She has the Confederates firing at the flag whereas their testimony testimony mony is that not a shot was fire fired Then Whittier either relying on the Southworth version of the yarn or adding some imaginary details of his own transforms Barbaras Barbara's Fire at this old head then boys it is not more venerable venerable venerable vener vener- able than your flag into Shoot if you must this old gray head but spare your country's flag Whittier's poem appeared in the October 1862 issue of the Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic At At- lantic Monthly Almost Immediately immediately immediately immedi immedi- its accuracy was questioned and in reply to a friend who wanted wanted wanted want want- ed to know if Barbara was a 1 myth Whittier wrote I 1 had a portrait of the good Lady Barbara from the saintly hand of Dorothea Dix and a cane from Barbaras Barbara's cottage cottage cottage cot cot- tage sent me by Doctor Steiner of the Maryland senate Whether er she did all nIl that my poem ascribed to her or not she was wasa a brave true woman I 1 followed the account given me in a private letter and in the papers of the tim tune time e. e Later an article was published in the Century magazine denying that the poem had any foundation in fact and to this Whittier replied replied replied re re- re- re plied Barbara Frietchie was written in good faith The story was no invention of mine It came c-ame cameto cameto cameto to me from sources which I regarded regarded regarded re re- re- re as entirely reliable I had no reason renson to doubt its accuracy then and I am still sUIl constrained to believe that it had foundation in fact If I thought otherwise I should not hesitate to express ILI it IL I have no pride of authorship to interfere with my allegiance to truth Barbara Frietchie was stricken with pneumonia soon after the celebration of her sixth ninety-sixth birthday and died two weeks later on on December 18 1862 If H as the familiar song has it John Browns Brown's body lies a in his grave but his soul goes marching on then it is equally true that Barbara Frietchie's body lies a in her grave in Mount Olivet Olive cemetery in Frederick But the controversy over her lier deed as reported in Whittier's poem goes merrily on even even after three-quarters three of a century Western Newspaper Union |