Barbara Fritchie

Barbara Fritchie (nee Hauer), also known as Barbara Frietchie, and sometimes spelled Frietschie, (December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862) was an American patriot during the Civil War. She was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and married John Casper Fritchie, a glove maker, on May 6, 1806. December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... In the Gregorian Calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), at which point there will be 13 days remaining to the end of the year. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action... Nickname: The Red Rose City Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Lancaster Founded 1730 Incorporated March 10, 1818 Mayor Rick Gray (D) Area    - City 19. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

She was a friend of Francis Scott Key and they participated together in a memorial service at Frederick, Maryland, when George Washington died. A central figure in the history of Frederick, she lived in a house that was to become a stop on the town's walking tour. In stories it is said that at 95 years of age she waved the Union flag out of her window despite opposition from Stonewall Jackson's troops, who were passing through Frederick in the Maryland Campaign. This event is the subject of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem of 1864, Barbara Frietchie. When Winston Churchill passed through Frederick in 1943, he stopped at the house and recited the poem, an excerpt of which follows, from memory. Francis Scott Key Fort McHenry looking towards the position of the British ships (with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the distance on the upper left) Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer and amateur poet who wrote the words to the United States... Location in Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Frederick Founded 1745 Mayor Brian Artusio (R) Board of Alderman Marcia Hall (D) Alan E. Imhoff (R) David P. Koontz (D) Donna K. Ramsburg (D) C. Paul Smith (R) Area    - City 52. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732–December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first President of the United States. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag (commonly, the Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ... Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson January 21[1], 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ... Confederate dead at Antietam The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, was a series of battles fought in September, 1862—Robert E. Lees first invasion of the North—during the American Civil War. ... John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and forceful advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

"Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag," she said.
A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;
The nobler nature within him stirred
To life at that woman's deed and word;
"Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on!" he said.

Barbara Fritchie's house in 2006

In a play of 1899, Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl Clyde Fitch takes artistic liberty and intertwines her story with that of his own grandparents' love story, which also takes place during the Civil War. Wikisource has original text related to this article: the poem Barbara Frietchie Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl is a play in four acts by Clyde Fitch and based on the heroine of John Greenleaf Whittiers poem Barbara Frietchie (based on a real person: Barbara Fritchie). ... Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 - September 4, 1909) American dramatist. ...

The flag incident likely never occurred, however, as Barbara Fritchie was sick in bed that day. She told the housekeeper to hide the valuables in order to prevent looting, and to take the U.S. flag that was hanging outside.^{[citation needed]} But it was never moved, and as a result was shot up by the Confederate troops. Accounts differ as to how the legend that inspired the poem arose. The flag, a symbol of the need for myth in times of war, may be seen in the Barbara Fritchie House and Museum.

Barbara Fritchie died at the age of 96 and was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, in Frederick City. Gate of Mount Olivet Cemetery with the Francis Scott Key Monument in the distance. ...

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

full text of Whittier's poem