The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-20
BARBARA FREITCHIE.
Some Personal RecoIlectiOns of the Early
Days of the War.
detroit Free Press1

DAYS Oh Tie war.
detroit Free Press.]
There has been considerable controver.
sv over this venerable dame, whom Whit
tier has immortalized i'm song, as "Bravest
of All in Frederick Town" Some claim
that shs is myth; that there was no such
person in existence, and that the scenes
which Whittier has so graphically de-
scribed were only fragments of the poets
fancy.
That Barbara Freitchie lived there is at
present no question, and, also, that she
was alive at the time Stonewall Jackson
visited the CITY OF Frederick is also proved
berond doubt; but for the rest OF the
story, from all the facts that can gather,
there seems no authority other than the
poem. AT the time when these events
were claimed to have occurred, Dame Bar
bara was very old and very decrepit, SO
much 30 that she hobbled around with
large staff, and it is doubtful if she could
have mounted the stairs to the attic for
the purpose of waving the little silk flag
which she kept carefully laid away in
bureau.
That she had no great love for the Con-
federates, is shown in the curt speeches
she is said to have made to some OF them
who happened to sit down on the piazza
at the end OF her house. "OH with you"
she said and poked them with her staff.
This certainly was not very compliments
~, and probably wasn't intended to soothe
their feelings as we learn that Barbara
had that worst of female weapons, a sharp
tongue, and she knew how to use it, as
her nephew secession svmpathizer, could
testify. Sine used TO speak OF him as an
"arrant knave," and give him advice not
in keeping with his secesh proclivities.
am not inclined to consider as authen-
tic the account of the shooting of the flag
staff, and OF Dame Barbara's picking it up,
first, because the rebel army did not enter
Frederick City on the occasion named.
They came down the Bonnaughstown
road, toward the city, but turned off before
reaching it, and took road running in
the other direction, so that they would
have lett Barbaras house behind them.
Another reason is that we don't believe
Stonewall Jackson would have ordered
llls licops W IiLC dt private HOusc III tildt
way, especially if Dame Freitchie was in
siynt, for it is established on good authori-
ty that he had great respect for aged wo-
men, and it was his special delight to
engage them in conversation. Consider
able romance has clustered around this
venerable dame, and we should hesitate
to detract an iota from the honors that
cluster around her and make her famous.
But let us not do injustice TO the iliustr.
ous dead by giving credence to unworthy
tales.
Barbara Fretche's work is DER,
And Jackson rides on his raids no more;
Honor TO her, and let tear
Fall for her sake on Stonewalrs bier.
And not for her sake alone, but for his,
for Stonewall Jackson was remarkable
man. No more prominent character was
developed on the Confederate side by ''our
late unpleasantness." Certain it is that
the next great battle after his death be-
tween the Army OF the Potomac and the
Army of Northern Virginia brought de-
feat to the latter, and they gained no more
substantial victories. The battle of Get.
t,ysburs was the turning point of the war
against the Confederales, and from that
time their fortunes declined till they cul-
minated in the fall of Richmond and
Petersburg, April2, 1866.