Evening star., 1923-01-29
Barbara Frietchie Again
Eyewitness of "Stonewall's" Pass
ing Refutes Flag Incident.
To the Editor of The Star.

To the Editor Of The Star:
Noting the special dispatch to
The Star" which is headed, "Freder-
tck rests easy since Frietchie story
| seems proven" on page IS of your
| issue of January 25, 1 am moved by
| the spirit of historical justice. which
has inspired me to write many other
iconoclastic narratives, to express a
| subject of that sketch is based on
authentic data.
About month ago met my many
year friend. Mr.. Thomas M. Buckley
| of this city, and in the course of our
conversation learned that he was in
| the town of Frederick, Md, when the
legendary incident is assumed to
have occurred.
AT my request. Mr. Buckley wrote
| an account of his experience at that
time and sent 1t to me with author
| ity to use it, for publ caion or other
| wise. The Star is at liberty to pub
| lish it. WILLIAM TINDALL.
| (The account to which Mr.. Tindall
refers is as follows)
when Gen. r. +. Lee, with his
! army, invaded the state of Maryland
| / was a very young, small boy, who
\ had, with a companion, run away
| from home to join the Confederate
army. My boy friend and ] became
| separated. He joined the StonewaIl
| Brigade. and was killed in the sec
ond battle of Manassas i did not
| find this out until i found the brigade
in camp. near Frederick, Md / was
then refused enlistment by the cap
| tain Of our home company because ]
! was too young and too small. | was
back to Virginia.
| II was asleep in a house in Fred
erick, owned by a relative, on the
night the Confederate army COM
| menced TO evacuate that town. I
was awakened about midnight by my
| sister, who informed me that the
| army was retreating. This found at
| line by sentires posted at every street
| and alley. ! was lying on the pave
! ment with many soldiers, not more
| than 100 feet from the home of Bar
| bara Frietchie. The time was then
| about 2:30 o'clock in the morning,
| when ] was suddenly aroused by the
| soldiers calling out, Here comes old
Jack meaning Stonewall Jackson.
l looked and recognized Gen. Stone
wall Jackson riding along on his old
| sorrel in the semi-light of the early
! morning. with his two aides riding
about fifty feet in his rear.
II ran out in the street, took off my
cap and saluted the general. He took
off his cap and bowed to me. smiling
| most pleasantly 1 then returned to
i my place on the pavement.
There was then no cheering by
| citizens at any door nor window. The
general was then passing Barbara
Frietchie's house. None but soldiers
| were awake and moving. Later on
| that day, from every window on that
street came cheers and waving flags,
both Union and Confederate.
"Their cheers were for Lincoln, for
Jefferson Davis, for the Union and
| for the Confederacy, as the prefer
ences of those who cheered We're in
| clined
"Our Confederate officers were all
| in full-dress uniform, and greeted
our cheers with many bows. j saw
| no one abused or restrained. nor in
suited in any way. l was in that
immediate neighborhood until late
| in the day. and / can say that / am
perfectly certain that Gen. Stone
wall jackson was, long before sunup
that morning, as far away from Fred
( erick as South Mountain or its ViCin-
| ity.
There could not have been any
! such incident as related in the poem
about Barbara Frietche. Gen. Jack
| son was not there, 1 am sure that
| she never saw him ut that time. AL
though he was not there. he would
/ not have been capable of committing,
nor of permitting an indigni.v to
any woman. THOMAS NJ. BUCKLEY"