St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-02-25
BARBARA FRITCHiE,
Another Story About the Heroine
Whittier's War Lyric.

Another Story About the Heroine OF
Whittier's War Lyric.
Whittier'S war lyric on Barbara
Fritchie has an assured place in the
thrilling poetry of the period. We
have neither hope nor desire to dimin-
| ish ad miration for it, nor to weaken
its influence in the least, but we be-
| lieve recitation of the facts in con-
ncction with its composition will be of
general interest. The writer of this
article carried q musket in the Union
army. and marched through the streets
of Frederick City but Il few hours be.
hind the Confederate troops under the
command of Stonewall jackson. He
we'll remem beers the little house of Bar
bara Fritchie, on the banks of the
creek on Patrick street. Afterward,
in the hospital, he became intimately
acquainted with the old lady's nieces,
who knew personally of her conduct on
the occasion described in the poem.
Here is the truth taken from letter
written to the writer in 1875:
Aunt never did wave her flag. But
no matter how much you say it, the
Northern people will never believe it.
No one has ever asked us about Aunt
Barbara Fritchie, but we have told the
simple truth. She was born in Ian.
easter. Pr, December. 1777. and
moved to Frederick when a little child.
Having no children of her own, she
took my mother at the age of three
and raised her to womanhood. Aunt
Barbara was an intelligent and ex-
ceedngly lady-like woman, moved in
the best society, and was highly re-
spected by the entire community. As
to her loyalty to the UAion, there was
no question, and she had no sympathy
whatever for the South. When Jack.
SON. troops were passing by her house,
some soldiers entered her yard and
Sc ated themselves on the steps
of her porch. The old lady came
out promptly, stirred among
them with her cane. and drove
them off, but she did not wave her flag
to them, Both armies were in the
city ut the same time, and it was to
Burn Side's troops, who were among
the first Union soldiers to enter Fred
erick. who were chasing the enemy
and fighting in front of aunts house.
she waved her flag. She was over
joyed, and, running to her large
family Bible, where she had placed
her little silk flag for safety. at my
suggestion, she stood with it in her
hand, and her extreme old age,
eighty-six, really attracted more
notice than her flag Officers and men
gathered around the outside of the
window where she stood, asking to
take her by the hand, inquiring her
age. name, etc 1t was from this the
story originated. Some one told it, as
written in the poem, to Mrs. South
worth, who felt herself incapable
OF writing upon it, and gave
the narrative to MI. Whit
tier: He received it as a fact,
and wrote accordingly, and no one
should lay the falsehood to him.
Aunt Fritchie's house was willed to
my mother, and, after the flood of
1868 had to be sold to the corporation
for the purpose of widening the creek.
The house was torn down and the
creek widened, and upon what was
aunt's alley now stands narrow
house used as a timers shop. One
of the most prominent Confederates OF
Maryland, distant relative of mine,
went to mother a week ago, with
Union General from Philadelphia. and
asked my mother for aunt's flag for
display at the Centennial. Ny hus-
band talks of making a tour to ex-
hibit the little girl who stood by Bar
bara Fritchie' side, as she is now his
property. But a better way to a
fortune would be to sell Barbara
Fritchie's flag and bedstead. now in my
possession. IS. s. gibson, in Herald
and PresbYter.