Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-10-25
TRUE TO PRINCIPLEs.
Correct Version OF the Story oT the
Tennessee Quaker Who Refused
Take mp Arms I'm the Late War

d
I induced to fight IN the late war,
though cOnscripted. IS from the pen
Of prominent citizen Of this State
"a leading member of the bar Of an
adjacent county, and an 9x-Judge
Advocate and officer of the Coufcde-
rate States army in the late war. 1t
is a faithful narration of one of The
most interesting and cur.Ous events
Of the late war:
To the Editor 81 lIc E,plaliclu Banner:
have Just read in the Banner OF
the 10th inst, a fragment Of Governor
Foote's remiui-ceucc- headed, How
a Quaker refused 20 fight As | am
familiar with the facts and circum-
stances alluded TO, and as the case
greatly interested me al tho time.
have thought 1t might be of some iu-
tercst to your readers to 60 into de-
tUils more than Is done IN Governor
Foote's brief allusion to the case.
The Young Quaker alluded 10 is
Tilgham Il. Nestol, who lived near
Columbia, Tennessee. When Gene
raj Bragg's army was at Shelbyvillc,
Tennessee, Young Nestol was con-
scripicd and sent To- that place. he
was assigned to duty in the fih Ten
nesSce regiment, commanded Gy Col
McMurrny, of Nashville. he report
ed to the regiment as required to do,
but utterly refused TO perform mill
tary duty of any character or descrip-
tiOn. Neither by threats nor persua-
sion could he be induced 10 alter his
determination. The officers Of the
regiment were as humane as thev were
true and gallant, and, aite- every ef-
fort had failed TO induce NestOl to
perform the duties of "a soldier, they
gave the matter up in despair, and
told him tD leave aud go home, whick
he did. But shortly thereafter anoth-
er co2script officer came along and
Nestol was again duly enrolled rs a
cOnscript, and ordered TO report at
Bragg's headquarters. Not being
ready Just then 80 leave his home, lie
asked and obtained; the time Of two
weeks within which TO report, some
citizen Of Columbia, Chancellor Flem-
ing, aS / now remember, going his
security that he would report at the
end of the time. Before the eNpira-
tion of the two weeks General Bragg
had fallen back 10 Chattanooga. All
alone and on foot, Nestol went 10
Chattanooga and reported to Bragg's
headquarters. By "a most singular
coincidence, he was 8gain assigned TO
the +th Tennessee. Col. McMurray,
from his Shelbyville experience, knew
he had a tough customer TO deal with.
He concluded he would try the force
of moral suasiOu, so one day he sent
for Vestol 20 come to his quarters, and
undertook 10 convince mm from the
Scriptures that he was wholly wrong
in his ideas and position. But the
young Quaker was rather too much
for the gallant Colonel in the Scrip
ture argument, and the Colonel sent
for his chaplain to talk 10 Nestol and
convince him that he was altogether
wrong in his refusal TO fight or TO per
form military duty. The chaplain
came aud opened the argument after
this wise: Il wouldn't give a cent for
a religion that is opposed to NV cOun-
try" Said Vestol, Il wouldn's 4 give
a cent for country that is opposed
to my religion" The argument last
ed for some time, but left the Young
Quaker unconvinced and determined
to do no military duty of any descrip-
ton. He refused to police the camp
or 10 do the least thing that could be
tortured or construed into military
duty. At.last Col. NcMurray, wholly
unable to do anything with Vestol,
sent him to brigade headquarters.
Here he was reasoned with, aud every
effort make 20 induce him to 20 and
perform the duties of a soldier. but
he was as firm and iuheXible as the
everlasting hills. He was told that if
he persisted in his course he would be
subjected Is severe punishment, and
finally would be shot for disobcdience
of orders. He replied thai they had
the power to Kill him, Int neither the
Federal nor Confederate army pos
sessed the power to force him TO
abandon his principles or prove false
to his religion. remember Cndeav-
oring to persuade him one day TO pay
the five hundred dollars, which the
law provided a Quaker might pay,
and be exempt from military duty,
and asked him if he couldn't raise
that amount and pay it, and thus get
rid of the troubles that plainly saw
ahead of him II nc persisted in his
course. de said he could raise the
money without any difficulty, but
said he, suppose l pay the COnfede-
rate Government five hundred dollars
that will enable them to employ some
one else to fight, and il viii enable
them TO employ some one else to tight,
aud 1t viii be equivalent to my hiring
another man TO do what / think it
wrong to do myself. 1 can't do that. "
Il then said to him, Suppose 1
could get you the position Of nurse in
! a hospital, to care for the sick,
wouldn't you do that" He said, Il
regard it my duty 10 do all can for
| the sick and afflicted of either army,
but if 1 were 10 take the position of
nurse in a hospital, 1 would thereby
occupy the place of some other man,
who would 90 out and fight;" and SO
| declined to DO that. Learning from
| him that he knew how to make pot
| terv or earihenware, I told him there
was d mandatory of that sort in
| Georgia. ''NOw suppose you could
| be detailed to work there, would you
not be willing to go?" He replied,
/ If its n private establishment, / will
90; but if it's q government establish
ment, and run in the interest of the
war. I can't 60" Everything that
| could be construed, directly or indi-
rectly, into military duty, lie refused
| most emphatically TO engage IN. He
was only about eighteen years Of age.
! I soon became satisfied that he acted
/ from principle, and would 90 to the
| stake or meet death in any shape it
/ could assume, rather than swerve one
particle from what he conceived to be
/ his duty. 1t was the sublimest exhi-
| bition of moral courage I had ever
| witnessed, and il was the more re-
markable from being found in a boy
[ Of only eighteen. away from his fam
[ ilv and friends. I asked him one dav
/ if he had no sympathies III the con
| test-if he had no preference as to
which side should be successful. 80
/ YES, q" he said, Il would pCefer to see
/ the South victorious, as l live IN the
/ South and among Southern people"
| heard q gentleman say to him
I "YestOl, did you ever exhibit any
/ emotion about anything in your life?"
/ 20 yes, he said; Il have cried IN my
| life" well, said the gentleman, 1
would like to know what were the cir
cumstances that caused you to cry. "
| Nv ell, sir" he said, "When l left
home to come here, my mother cried
when she told me good bye. and /
cried then" ''Yes, said the gentle
man, land If your mother were here
now, and could see how you are situa.
tsd, she would tell you to take youl
/ gun and go ont and DO your duty as
q soldier NO, sir, he quickly re
piled; 'the last thing my mother said
to me was to be true to my religion