Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-05-08

MOnOcacy Juuctioh, ne"i ""
al Jackson also camped; and l am very
confident that he did not go into Fred
erick until the morning of the 10th,
when his command marched for the
capture of Harper's Ferry. The Cen
eral went through Frederick, with a
cavalry escort, in advance of his troops,
who did not pass through the town I'M
til he was some distance beyond it.
The so-called "ex-Confederate' in
! California who says that ''Stonewall
Jackson ordered his dust-browned ranks
to halt in front OF Mrs. Frietchies house,
and that bullet from his gun was one
of the many that hit the flag she held
if he indeed was ever Confederate
soldier, has strayed as far from the
truth in The tale he tells as he has from
the land of his birth 1t is possible
that he may have once been in the Con-
federate army, but if so / venture to
affirm that all the shooting he ever did
was with ''long bow" If he heard
General Jackson give any such order
as that mentioned by him and described
in Whittier's poem, or any other Off
GERS command, upon flag in Barbara
Frietchie's or any other woman's hand,
then he heard and witnessed what was
heard and witnessed by no other NOR
tai man. Neither General Jackson nor
any other officer in our army was capa-
bic of giving such command.
On the morning that we passed
through Frederick, on the expedition
for the capture of Harper's Ferry, the
two following incidents occurred, one
of which I witnessed in person, and the
other was described to me by an en-
tirely reliable officer of Hays Louisiana
brigade: As my brigade, of Ewells di-
vision, was marching through the town,
on the street which connects with the
road to Boonsboro,' a young girl about
ten or eleven years old was standing on
the platform in front of a framed wood
house, on the left side of the street as
we marched, with small flag Omitted
! States), of the size commonly called
candy-hags, in her hand, which she was
slowly waving while reciting, in d dull,
monotonous tone, "Hurrah for the
Stars and Stripes! Down with the
Stars and Bars - by her side stood
another girl about five or six years old,
looking as if she did not know what it
all was about, and the girl who was
going through the performance seemed
to have no heart In the matter, but TO
be merely going mechanically through
recitation she had been taught. The
doors and window shutters of the house
were closed, and not another human
being was visible about it. The men,
as they passed, laughed and joked
pleasantly about the affair, but not
rude or unpleasant remark was made
by them. The only indication of dis
position to interfere with the girl was
by one-legged man who had been &C
companying one of my regiments on
horseback during the campaign. When
1 got up 1 found him somewhat excl
ted, and upon my asking him what was
the matter he called my attention to
the girl with the flag, and said he had
a good mind to get down and take the
flag from her. He had evidently taken
two or three extra drinks, and told
him he was fool-to go on and let the
girl alone-she could do no harm with
her candy flag; and thcreupon he moved
on. The other incident occurred farther
OIL think just across the bridge in
the western part of the town. AS the
Louisiana brigade (Iay's) was passing
corse, dirty-looking woman rushed up
narrow alley with United States
flag, very much soiled, which she thrust
out of the alley, when an Irish soldier
in the brigade, with his ready Irish wit,
made remark about "that dom'd ould
dirty rag" as he called it, which sent
her back with her flag in hurry, and
no effort to take the flag from her was
made Upon these two incidents, |
presume, are based Mr.. Whittier's "lofly
numbers" and the disputed claims to
the honor and glory of having Haunted
the "Union flag" in the faces of Stone
wall Jackson's ragged rebels as they
passed through Frederick. The story
told by the Frederick correspondent of
the Sun about flag being stricken
from the hand of Mrs Quantrill by
one of our officers is, / think. as ground
less as that told in Whittier's verses.
Ii any such incident had occurred, and
it had been the subject of reprimand or
disapproval 10y his superior officers, |
think | would have heard of it. / have
witnessed number of instances of the
display of small flags, or the Union col
ors, as they were called, by ladies in
the enemys country as we passed
through their towns, but | never heard
of an instance in which any violence or
rudeness was used by our officers or
soldiers on such occasions; though when
the exhibitions became obtrusive. our
boys where always ready with good
natured witticism or jest that put an
end to these exuberant displays of pa
triotism / have also seen ladies, even
in Pennsylvania, wave their white hand
kerchiefs to our troops Whoever is
disposed to claim the honor of either of
the two incidents in Frederick that |
have mentioned is entirely welcome to
do So
/ will add that / have been informed
by gentleman who was for long
time citizen of Frederick that Mrs
Barbara Frietchie, or her husband, was
q descendant of one of the Hessians