The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
WASHINGTON, n c.
II REAL BARB IRA FRTETCHIE.
Ninety-six Years Old, Redridden and Never
D~fed Stonewall ia kson.

Dened StOneWhiI ia tsOns
To rpr Eprros OF The SUS-Str. Tho Bar
bara Frietchie' lie dies hard. 1t has teen
mailed" time and again. but at intervals OF
every live years or so "bohs up again serene
and cheerful. finds patriotic" cham pions from
Brook. yn generous asylum ever OF exploded
war-mythsD to Waterbury, Conn. But aome
otthe later champions take the very sou out OF
the myth and the point out OF the poem ny
allowing that the aged Barbara wavci her little
flag IN welcome to the Union forces and not In
defiance OF :, onewall Jackson and bis ragged
Rebels" Mr. J. c. Houghton. In your issue OF
Jan. "a. says: Il am CAD TO see that you have
rescued Barbara Frietchlc rom the realm o!
myth. '''' have a photograph OF her.
taken after her welcoming display Of the
United States flag u the In on forces as they
were. passing through Frederick CITY. ''-
Mr.. Whittier took a poet = license IN making
her defy with her flag the rebel General ~ n
previous march through Frcderick." This
being granted, the whole rdison detre OF the
poem goes 10y the hOarl.
No me. 30 far a. | know. has ever contenipd
that Barbara + ri"tchir never existed. She I'M
doubtt NY ii "xis' ant was NJ vile OF o GU;
zen o Frederick. who was said IN be- descended
from one OF he Hessians brought over TO sub
dq' the American colonistsl
II Is n perfectly well-known tact TINT Stone
wal Jack -on did not pass through Frederick
along will his corps, but rod" raIilly through
the town with II small cavalry escort about az
hour heforr. rs troops marched throughthe
streets Neither he nor his troops passed Bar
bari rlrlchir's house. There j. not one single
incident IN Whittier'- poem that has an histor-
iral foundation. 1t is pure poetic my b from
Perhaps the following letter from barbara
Frirtchie's own nephew, wh,chapp' AIRED in the
Baltimore SIN Ia August. 1871. may interest
OF the myth lausa for reflection. II will he
secn that twenty-nve wears ago the bottom was
knocked ont o'the patriotic episode by one
who could '-pen. with au' hori'y.'
SRI have Q. read a commru! 'st on n The
sun rurportins 70 set forth certa n facts in relation
to III" life and C aracter OF the ate Barbara Fret
n 2. the heroine OF VII tiers &c ehrated war poem.
II IN y no, be In proper { state that 7 am the pew
Of Dame Barbara" and had the 1T ling up Of her
bu bands estate IN the capa 'itv OF administrator.
TIis necessarily threw NE into frequent ommun
catisn with IL lnCien' and venerable dame.
Barb,ra Fret bic. m venerable aunt, was not .
lady Of twenty two summers, as your O respondent
alleges. but an ancient dame Of n~inety.s.x via ere
when she departed this life and it is but Truth to
Add tn I she never saw the inside Of the Federal
hospital IN this city. Nor did she depart this iife In
September. 1898, but died on Dec. ~, 1892. Nor did
any Of the Federal soldiers from the hospital attend
This. TO my certain knowledge, wara act. no orders
to that effect h, V ~ EN- Il ell. Therefore none Of
these 3, u ales in, invalid soldiers were At my cd
Aunts funeral 80 much for his branch Of your
New York correspondent stat ment.
Now, a wo d as to the waving Of tn Federal Gag in
the face o.. tho rebels by Oar e Barbara on the occa.
sion Of S,onewall Jackson's march through Fred.
erick. Truth requires Inc to say that S,onowall
Jackson with his troops did not pass Barbara
resd nee A. all; but passed up what in
this city il popularity called The Mil Alley" about
three hundred yards above her residence. then passed
due west to Ant etam. and thus ont ~ the city But
another and stran ;er fact with regard to this ma I r
nay be hero pre- ented, viz; The poem by Whittier
represents our venerable relative then ninety-.iI
years of aye as ninbly asc ndiug to her attic win.
dow and waving her NAL Federal dag d~eHantly n
the face OF stonrwall Jackson's troops. Now. what
are the facts at this point Dame Barbsr. was. at
the moment Of the pa,sin, OF that distingui he'd
General and his forces tn ough Frederick. bedr!dden
and helpless. I'D bad lost he power OF locomoti n
She oud at this period only move. a. she was
moved. by the help OF her attend ,nts. These are
the true and stern tics. proving that Whi,uer's
poem upon this subject 10 fiction, pure action. and
no,hinx else, " tholt even the remotest semblsnce
or = mblance Of fact. VALERIus EBERT.
FREDERICK CRY, Mp.. Aug, 81.
SO the deed Of 'derrjng do" that challenges
place for Barbara fri"trhre alnngsldr Of kuman
tloelia or scottish Katherine Douglas vanisirs
into thin air. The utmost that can to con-
tended for is that she may have waved a Union
tiag TO welcome Union troops. Even this Ia
high improl arle-wrll-nigh imp0ssihl". in
deed. tor a poor I'd hedriilen dane OF ninety
fix hut granting It he true. wherein consists
the extraordinary h-roIsm Of thu act? As IN 8
myth is an exceed nRly tough one 10 XII, be-
caus" 81 It's stirring sitting, I might be well
for ,he curious" Interested in such matters,
TO cut our Mr.. r ert's letter and paste Z In
their scrap-bOoks. The myth Is sure TO bob
up' again We can ali admire Whittier's
poem il is almost a pity that the in Id Mt isn't
true. but facts are facts. and Dame Bar-
hara. as an actual heroine. must come down
from the 10 ~ pedestal upon which the poet
has placed her solely .ny power of poetic
%licens-." W. GORDON MCCABE.
RICHMOND. Va. Jan. 81.