The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-11
BARBARA FRIETCHlE
A Virginia Soldier and Scholar on
a Celebrated Myth.
To the Editor OF the Sun:

4 - tnc ilultOr OF the sun.
Sir.-For thirty years and more |
have been "a diligcnt soarchcr" OF tho
columns OF tho Sun. ~ we'll al "a
consistent member" OF tho Westmore-
land Club. OF this city. and, holding
fast even In my old ago. to the faith
delivered to tho elect that If you
sec 1t In the Sun it's So" I must own
TO mild surprise at the editorial Ia
tho Sun OF November . entitled The
Truth About Barbara Frietchic"
The sun is apparently impressed In
q measure. by tho researches of tho
! Barbara Frietchic Memorial Associa-
ton, formed In 1912, to pcrpetuatc tho
true story OF tho old womans hcroisn,"
but chiefly by barbara Frietchie's
own story. as told TO Miss Caroline
Ebert. aftcrward Mrs. Winebrenner. II
few days after tho Confederate column
passed through Frederick"
II tho barbara Erietchie Memorial
Association was really formed TO per-
petuate the true story of tho old wo-
mans heroism." ana IL IT claims that
it's Investigations confirm Barbar;t's
story, then IN tho faco Of undoubtcd
facts. tho assets OF that patriotic com
,blnaton arc spurious, and that accom-
pHshed sleuth hound. Mr.. Attorney
General Mcitcynolds should force 1t to
| go into the hands OF a receiver"
Let me pause n moment her. to saw
'
so accurate IN its statements is mis-
taken In declaring that the tiat. flown
Ut the spot Barbara's grave, was
carried away to the last shred" by
relic hunters" Not only Is that nag
&c pluribus unuu"') stiil "piouslv pre-
served" IN the "parlors" in countless
| patriot homes throughout the land
but there are literally thousands OF
the original and Identical flag"
which the heroic old woman" waved,
some say, I'm tile porch" como say In
the attic" in tho face OF somebody or
other. friend or foe, when somebody
marched through Frederick In the cool
September morn"
Of the many, many Originals" the
son or the gallant Federal General
Reno claimed to possess the Simon
pure" one, but Mrs John II. Abbott. of
Frederick, grandniece OF Barbara de-
clared that she had 1t. Where there
are so many, all OF "undoubtcd" au-
thenticity, twero bootless to econ
slider too curiously," as Horatio hath
it
The genesis and growth OF the Bar
hara Frietchie story l have dealt with
before. and some fourteen or fifteen
years ago i addressed a letter on the
subject TO the sun. which, il seemed
70 me and TO many others, should have
given the coup dc grace to the myth
Yet, even at the time ! confessed mis-
n.
for, Ike most patriotic myths that
take popular fancy, it displayed an
amazing vitality. had the satisfac-
ton. however, of pressing the myth
mongers 80 hard that they shifted
their ground and took the Very soul
out OF the myth and the point out
of the poem by allowing that the agec
Barbara waved her little flag in well
come 10 the Union forces and not in
defiance Of "Stoncwall' Jackson and
his ragged rebels" Among Others.
Mr.. |. {, HouGhton wrote TO the editor
OF the sun: Il am glad to see that you
have rescued Barbara Frietchie from
the realm OF myth. have a
photograph OF her, taken after her
welcoming display OF the United States
flag TO the Union forces as they were
nassing through Frederick City. Mr.
| Whittier took poets license in max
Ing her defy with her flag tho rcbel
general In previous march through
Frederick
This being granted, wherein. In tho
name OF common sense. consists the
old woman's heroism"? Thousands upon
thousands OF patriotic" women were
doing the same thing wherever tho
Union forces marched past their homes
in the North and In thc border states.
As for "rescuing" Barbara Irletchio
| herself from tho realm of myth"
remarked In my letter to tho Sun: NO
one. so far as ] know. has ever con-
tended that Barbara Frietche never
existed. She undoubtedly did exist and
was the widow OF Il citizen of I'reder-
lex. said tby General Johnson, OF
Frederick TO 10 descended from ono
OF the Iiessans brought over To sub
Jueato tho American colonists."
But how hobs up" again tho oriei-
nal story that Barbara did wave her
little flag In tho face of marching
Il
by Miss Caroline Ebert. IA niece of
iSarhara's. that the sun repeats and
apparently indorsos as the TRUTH
Says the sun cditorially:
barbara Frietchie's own story. as
told To Miss Caroline Ebert aftcrward
Mrs. Winehrcnner, few days after tho
Confederate column passed through
Frederick. was not published untn 1910.
She died last July at tho age Of
scrcnty-!ive According TO her recital
Granny Frictchie got out her flag TO
welcome Union soldiers when n little
girl ran Ia her house to tell her they
We're coming up the street. She waved
| tho nag from her porch. but the march
Ing men were in gray. Granny give
mo your flag" said a mounted officer.
with kindly tact, Won can't have it,
said old barbara l'rietchio. telling the
story, and then ! saw they were the
Confederate soldiers, but kept on
waving" The officer again spoke:
Granny, give me your nag. and I'll
! stick II In my horses head" one of
his men shouted: shoot her damned
head OFF, To him the officer said
stcrnly: IF You hurt a hair Of her
head III shoot YOU like a dog. Go on
Granny. wave Your flag rs much as YOU
please 1t is a pity the name OF tho
cavalier is mot known. but 1t was not
Stoncwall Jackson
Now. il will be observed that this
story. told by the brave old lady"
ut the age OF ninety-six was never
published according to the SUM un-
| til 1910. nearly half a century after the
event. when the niece was over
seventy.
Let US now hear what the nephew
OF Barbara Frictchic, who was also ad-
,ninistrator Of her husbands estate.
wrote 10 the Baltimore sun Just nine
! years after the war, when the events
must have been clear in his mind:
! Sir have just read a commuli-
txtN