Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1917-05-17
The Truth About Barbara Fritchie.

Although il is known that the old lady
waved the Stars and Stripes from her win
dow when the Northern army marched
through Frederick two days after Jack
sons force had passed, Barbara Fritchie's
heroism as immortalized by the misinform-
ed Whittier has long since been proved TO
be myth. Heraction reused such enthu-
siasm among the dispirited Union troops
that she came down 10 the porch and re-
ceived an ovation from them. Gen. Reno
asked for the flag she waved; but she gave
him a largera one. which he carried oil
amidst the cheers of the soldiers, and
which was wrapped round his dead body
after the battle, two days later.
Mrs. Louise Closer Hale gives in Har-
per's the true story of Stonewall Jackson's
march through Frederick, as she got il in
conversation with the wife OF an old shoe
maker in that town. After some prelim-
mary remarks the old lady said, "Daugh-
ter, run up and get that picture OF Mrs.
QuantrilIe. You know. ma'am. we always
felt battle ahead, and when orders came
from Lee for General Jackson there
didn't many call him Stonewall then-to
march hstroops through the townto seize
Hsrper's Ferry, we felt something in our
bones. He came by the way ofthat creek. "
"Not past Mrs. Fhtchie's house?"
"No'm. Just this side OF it. We were all
on the stoop watchin' for Gen. Jackson,
who, we had heard, always rode with a
Bible under his arm. There was a good
deal OF delay along the road, because, you
know, ma'am, they waited for the COM
missary. The Confederate band was play
in down al the drug store. and twas Hill,
d. H. Hill,-there were two Hills in this
corps,-who sent for the musicians to SER
enade Mrs. Quantrille and us girls. He
had reined his horse alongside OF us, and
we were all cutting up.
"All this time Mrs. Quantrille had lit
tie Union flag in her hands. lrsthe rule
when an army comes through atoHn that
only the flag OF the army is shown, so !
reckon hers was about the only one flying.
Mrs. Fritchie was avery old lady, and was
sick in bed that day"
"But didn't anybody protest about III"
"Well, Mr.. Hill said. Madam, you ought
10 take that flag OF yours and make an
apron OF it, but quick rs flash she came
back. 'You ought TO take yours, sir, and
make breeches out OF it, They were ter
riby ragged. that corps.
Then Hill rode on, and no sooner had
he gone than one OF tie privates, gettln
into line, stabbed ii with his bayonet, and
used some language that wasn'tverY nice
Mrs. Quantrille was as perky as you
please. She made fuss about il, and said
the man ought TO be arrested for rudeness
TO a lady. SO one of the officers rode on
ahead and said he'd see 10 it. Southern
gentlemen were very particular about Ian
guage before lady. don'tsuppose any
thing was ever done, because there was a
good deal to think about just before bat
tie.
but Mrs. Quautrille said, Girls, have
any of you got ilag?' We used to all
carry Union flags in the bosom OF our
basques, and Mary wentinto the hall and
took hers out. So by the time Gen. Jack
son came alongsh was waving one again.
He never said a word that can remem-
Der. and we were all so excited oowin' TO
him that we had 10 laugh afterwards be-
cause we forgot to look for the Bible.
Yessum, we did.
at was the other Hill OF Jackson's divi-
siou-l always call him the Hill on the
cream-colored horse-who brought up the
rear. And he said TO Mrs. Quantrille,
You ought to be shot for wavin' that flag
His pistol was out OF its holster, but he
didn't shoot her. And Mrs. Quantrille,
who always had the last word, said,
You'll be the one TO be shot It seemed
a kind Of prophecy, for he was killed.
But then, good many was. And after
that another soldier, encouraged by what
Hill said, | reckon. cut the second flag out
of her hand and tranpled on il. So ifthe
poet han got il right, he'd have had two
flags torn down."