Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-09-19
BARBARA FRIETCHIE
Myth of Jackson Firing on Stars
and Stripes.


1.-THE clustered spires Of Frederick stand,
Green-walled by tho hills Of Maryland"
The above couplet contains about
all the truth which Whittier 9
poem, barbara Frietchie," has
given to the world, unless we add
the line concerning the country
about the quaint old city, which
says that it is "fair as the garden
of the Lord"
There is not likely on our con-
tinent a duplicate Of Frederick,
Nd. The landscape is suggestive
of what is best in rural England.
The Catoclin Mountains to the
west, we'll cultivated to their tops,
lead gently down into valley that
is rated third in wealth and fertil-
ity in the United States. In the
midst of this glorious region stands
Frederick City-historic, quaint,
isolated. 1t is not on the direct
line of any railway, and is the
more interesting for that reasOn.
It's inhabitants are largely of Ger
man descent, as the queer names
on the store signs will indicate,
even if the visitor, with quick eye,
has not already surmised the same
from the number of golden haired
girls with matchless complexion
that he sees on entering the town.
The houses are built without froEt
yards, so that from the front doors,
where the families group in the
the evening, there is heard such a
clatter of greeting to those who
pass or laughter in regular German
delight in home life, that a stran-
ger who has visited Germany won
ders how a city from the Father
land could have been transported
so entirely to this country. The
church bells ring IN unison for half
an hour each Saturday evening at
six O'Clock, for what purpose i
have never learned.
Barbara Frietchie was born in
Pennsylvania December 3, 1866
and died in Frederick December
1e. 1862. She helped to entertain
Gen. George Washington when he,
in 1871, spent the night in her
town. He used Barbara's teapot
on the occasion. She was "rebel''
of the deepest dye as regards the
British government in her young
womanhood and loyalist of as
decided convictions in her old age
When Gen. r. E. Lee marched
into Frederick in 1852 and issued
his proclamation to the people OF
Maryland, the city was almost
equally divided between the Con-
federacy and the Union. Barbara
Frietchie was a stanch sympathizer
with the Union. She lived on what
ls known as Patrick street, and
was accustomed to place a small
United States flag in one of her
dormer windows, overlooking the
street. 1t is likely that her little
flag foated above the heads of the
Confederates when they marched
through Frederick early in Sep
TEN Der, 1862. 1t is positively
known that Stonewall Jackson, in
stead of passing Mrs. Frietchie's
house, left his soldiers at the en-
trance of the town and went to call
on the Rev. DR.. Ross, of the Pres
byterian Church, whom he knew
very well. jackson joined his
troops after they had passed Dame
Barbara's house.
But even had a subordinate otfi-
Ger ordered the Confederates to
fire on the flag that waved from
the window, the principle would
have been practically the same,
But an old resident Of Frederick,
who has written a pamphlet on the
subject and who tries TO make out
as good case as he can for Bar
bara Frietchie, told me that he
stood in his door, which is not one
hundred yards from the home 81
Mrs. FrIetchie, and saw the Con
federates pass, but "saw no such
occurrence as Mr.. Whittier speaks
Of" He added, anxious to pre-
serve the story from utter ruin: 81
cannot say it did not occur ~ Yet
after a vclley of musketry that
"shivered the window, pane and
SASH" back of which the old lady
was citing ready to grasp her flag
when it fell, not window pane
was broken, not the print of bal
COulu U6 eStu, HUI q MAJ n AOUHN VA
the fag-and no hurt to Barbara
Frietchie Still the old man, who
knew and esteemed the heroine oil
the poem and who is to this day
unable to speak other than bitterly
of Lees "invasion, says he "can-
not say it did not happen" even
though he knows Stonewall Jack
son did not pass the Frietchie
house, and that he "neither saw
nor heard of such an occurrence as
the poem relates !"
But on its very face the poem
bears the marks of the story's be-
ing purely and maliciously myth
ical. The "rebel horde" that
marched through Frederick in 1862
knew the town was divided in sem
timent. They expected to see evil
dences of this. Jackson's men
were not in Maryland to make war
on haos and old women of ninety