The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-03-06
yEsTul1s aRR.


| The TenneGsee QaakeP WhO Refused Il
FiEhs IN tbs Late HAr.
The following interesting &C
eountot q young Quaker who coule
not be induced TO fight in the lat.
war, though couscripted, is from
the pen Of q prominent citizen o
this State-a leading member o
the bar of an adjacent county
and an ex Judgs Advocate snt
officer Of the Confederate State.
army in the late war. It is 6
faithful narration Of one Of tht
most interesting and curious
events Of the war:
l have just read in the Banner
Of the 18th inst, & fragment o
Gov. Foote'S "reminiscences, head
ed, show a Quaker Refused Il
Fight" As i am familiar Will
the facts and circumstances allud
ed to, and as the case greatly in
terested me at the time, l have
thought it might be Of some In
terest to your readers TO go into
details more than Is done in Cor.
Foote's brief alIusion TO the case
Yhe y0nng Quaker alluded TO Is
Tiigham e. Vestol. who lived nea1
Columbia, Tenn. When Genera
Bragg's army was as Shelbyviile.
Tenn, young Vestol vas conscript-
sdanf 6ees2os That ptsss: be Mas
assigned TO duty In the Folsrii
Tennessee regiment, comn1ahded
by Col. McMurray, of Nashville.
He reported to the regiment as re-
quired to do, but utterly refused
to perform military duty of any
character or description. Neither
by threats nor persuasion could be
be induced to alter his determine
ton. The officers of the regi-
ment were as humane as they
were true and gallant, and, after
every effort failed to induced Yes
tol to perform the duties of a SOL
der, they gave the matter up in
despair, and told him to leave and
go home, which he did. But
shortly thereafter another con-
script officer came along and Yes
toll was again duly enrolled as q
conscript, and ordered to report
at Bragg's headquarters. Not be-
ing ready just then to leave his
home, he asked and obtained the
time of two weeks within which
to report, some citizen of Colum-
bia-Chancellor Fleming, as now
remember-going his security that
he would report at the end of the
time. Before the two weeks had
expired, Gen. Bragg had fallen
back to Chattanooga. All alone
and on foot, Vestol went to Chat
tanooga, and reported at Bragg's
headquarters. By a most singular
coincidence, he was again assign
ed to the Fourth Tennessee. Col.
McMurray, from his Shelbyville
experience, knew be had a tough
customer to deal with. He coz
cluded he would try the force of
moral suasion, so one day he sent
for Vestol to come to his quarters,
and undertook to convince him
from the Scriptures that he was
wholly wroHg In his ideas and po-
sition. But the young Quaker
Was rather too much for the gal
liant Colonel in the Scripture argu-
msnt, and the Colonel sent for his
Chaplain to talk to Vestol and
convince him that he was alto
gether wrong in his refusal to
fight or to perform military duty.
The Chaplain came and opened
the argument after this wise: al
wouldn't give cent for religion
that is opposed to my country"
Said Vestol, 81 wouldn't. give q
cent for a country that is opposed
to my religion" The argument
lasted for some time, but left the
young Quaker unoonyinced, and
determined to do no military duty
Of any description. He refused
to police the camp, or do the least
thing that could be tortured or
construed into military duty. AT
last, Col. McMurray, wholly I'M
able 10 do anything with Vestoi,
sent him to brigade headquarters.
Here he was reasoned with, and
every effort made to induce him to
go and perform tho duties OF q
soldier, but he was firm and in.
flexible as the everlasting hills.
He was told that if he persisted in
his course he would be subjected
to severe punishment, and finally
would be shot for disobedience o.
orders He replied that they had
the power to kill him, but neither
the Federal nor Confederate army
possessed the power to force hin
to abandon his principles, or prove
false to his religion. l remember
endeavoring to persuade him ont
day to pay the $500, which thu
law provided Quaker might pay
and be exempt from military duty
| and asked hin if he couldn't rais'
that amount and pay it, and thu
get rid of the troubles that ] plain
" saw ahead Of him If he persist
ed in his course.
He said he could raise the mon
ey without any difficulty. But,
said he, suppose l pay the Con
federate Government $50O-tha
will enable them to employ som
one else to fight, and it viii b
equivalent to my hiring anothe
man to do what l think is wronI
to do myself. can't do that"
/ then said to him: "Suppos
/ could get you the position Q
nurse in a hospital, to care for th
sick, wouldn't you be willing t
do thatP' He said: "I regard
my duty to do all l can for tn
sick and afflicted in either army
but if I were to take the positio
of nurse in a hospital, I woul
thereby occupy the place of som
other man who would go out an
fight" and so declined to do tina
Learning from him that he kue
how to make pottery or eartheI
ware, / told him there was q maj
ufactory Of that sort in Georgi
"Now suppose you could be d.
tailed to work there, would. yo
not be willing to goY' He repl
b, ed: "If it is q private establish
ment will go; but, if it is Go
eminent establishment, and run
!, the interest of the war, can't go
Every thing that could be CO
D strued, directly or indirectly, In
c military duty, he refused most eI
r phatically to engage in. He W
: only about Is years of age.
o soon became satisfied that he q
: ed from principle, and would |
n to the stake, or meet death in al
J. shape it could assume, rather thi
o sWerve one particle from what
: conceived to be his duty. It "
i the sublimest exhibition of moi
\ nnNrano had aS-a- Uzitoaaaad q,