Talk:Barbara Fritchie

Citation
A citation is needed for the claim the famous event didn't occur. I just visited the house and they recount the incident and cite some corroborating evidence for it, although the story is obviously embellished. Hal Jespersen 23:43, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree that a citation is needed for the claim the event didn't occur. I also want to add that the flag is most definitely not in the house. We just visited there today and had a long discussion with the caretaker (sweet woman) and she said the whereabouts of the flag are currently unknown. snagswolf 22:18, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't personally have access to this book, but someone might want to check it out as a possible citation: I Rode With Stonewall, by Henry Kyd Douglas (1838-1903), initially published in 1940; Fifth Printing: 1983, Mockingbird Books. I am currently looking at an excerpt that someone gave me from page 152, in which Douglas states that the flag-waving event did not happen. Macroidtoe 18:37, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

I partially take back my last statement: I just did a little research on H.K. Douglas, and have discovered that he is widely considered to be an unreliable source. Still, he could be cited as the possible origin of the "no flag-waving" version of the story, with a note regarding the questionable veracity of his writing. 24.249.55.43 18:46, 2 October 2006 (UTC)


 * It is quite possible that the flag event occurred. A good commander like Jackson would have had outriders out covering his flanks along the line of march especially in a town with many hiding places for snipers and mischief-makers. Elements of Jackson's force could in fact have been circulating about the side streets and seen Mrs. Fritchie's flag. For that matter, how would the tale have gotten started without some basis in fact? Virgil H. Soule (talk) 01:38, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

disambig
um, if the person inspired the play and the poem shouldn't her namesake page be about her and have a different (disambiguation) page? Potatoswatter 08:26, 27 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Fixed. For the record, I only stumbled across this; move requests will only be examined if noted at WP:RM as well. --Stemonitis 16:16, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Authenticity of poem
The third paragraph in this section does not make any sense. Barbara Fritchie's house is on Patrick Street. If the Confederate troops did marched south on Bentz Street and then turned west on Patrick Street that would mean they did marched right in front of her house. I live in Frederick but if you need more proof look it up on Google Maps; the first house across the creek on the right is Barbara Fritchie's house. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.255.127.230 (talk) 05:05, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

It must be two different people writing the article because it's impossible that no Confederate troops marched by her house and this "no Confederate troops shot up the flag: 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 may be seen in the Barbara Fritchie House and Museum.

History disproves the poem with the fact that the Confederate troops never passed by her house. Although they were within range of sight, they would only have been heard by Mrs. Fritchie if they had yelled to her at the top of their lungs.

I am not enough of a history buff to say which stories are most accurate, but there are maybe as many as 40 stories of people flying Union flags in Frederick and 40 stories of people flying Confederate flags. I would suggest deleting the speculation that no Confederate Forces walked by her house. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.141.79.82 (talk) 03:47, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

Age Disagreement
It says that according to the story, at the 'age of 90' she waved the flag at Jackson. However, she is revealed to have died at the age of 96 in 1862, which would put her at 90 in 1856, well before the Civil War. Certainly elements of the story have been embellished, but her age is pretty clear - if she authentically died at 96 in '62, as listed, she would have been 95 during the Maryland campaign (a few months earlier, before her birthday in December). Presumably this can be corrected? 71.247.7.168 (talk) 22:51, 14 September 2010 (UTC)