Year: 1868

The Nashville Banner tells the


story of George Vestal, of Maury


county, Tennessee, native of North


Carolina, and Quaker, who refused


on conscientious grounds to pay the
five hundred dollars exemption fee
demanded of the Friends by the
rebel authorities, and was conse-
quently conscripted. He was taken
to Tullahoma, where the obvious
sincerity of his anti-war principles
secured for him the friendship of
General Maury and Polk, and he was


released. He was again conscripted


and sent to the Tennessee brigade in
the army of Virginia. He told
his colonel that he could not fight,
and would suffer martyrdom rather


then bear arms


The officer at that time command.
ing the brigade of the Tennesseeans,
by reason of the capture of General
Archer at Gettysburg. was irascible
and arbitrary. He became very
much enraged at Vestal's refusal,
and ordered the commandant of the
Fourteenth Tennessee to apply the
bayonet, saying that he never yet
saw the man whom cold steel could
not move. The colonel of that reg
iment aquiesced with reluctance, but
he knew that it was his duty TO obey.
In few days an inspection was Or
dered, when it became necessary to
clean up quarters, arms etc, and a de
tail was ordered to clean up the reg
mental quarters. 1t happened to be
Vestars turn, and the orderly ser
geant detailed him. He signitied
fatty his purpose not to go. His
captain entreated him to comply.
Numerous members of the regiment
offered to pay the five hundred dol
lars required by the law rather than
to see him suffer punishment. He
firmly declined, assigning the same
reasons, and alleging that the money
would go into the Treasury and be
used to carry on the war.


Finally the guards were ordered
to fix bayonets and q shovel was
handed them with instructions to
make him work. When the guards
first handed him the shovel, he stated
to them that if cleaning up camp was
punishment for not doing military
duty, he would clean up the entire
camp; but if it was military duty, he
would not. The guard entreated
him, argued the case with him, beg
ged him to render the application
of the bayonet unnecessary. He
was inexorable, answering with a
smile, "that the physical comfort
was nothing compared with the here
after, and that he was willing to die
for the faith that was in him"


Three men with sharp Enfield bay
onets then thrust them into the fieshy
part of his thighs and buttocks, in
fiicting in all thirty five wounds,
ranging in depth from one-fourth to
one inch. Frequently he was knock
ed down with the butts of the guns,
but as long as he had strength,
he would turn one side and the
other for the guards until they finally |
refused to infiet further punishment.
At this juncture, the brave men who
composed the old Fourteenth regi-
ment became loud in their condemns
ton of this proceeding. The excite
ment was intense, and had the Brig
adler General issued a second order
Of this character, he would have
been unable to have had it executed.


Vestal was confined several weeks
to his bed. After his recovery he
was released from the guard house.
upon his promise not to escape,
Most faithfully did he comply, for
not many months afterward the COM
mand moved toward the northern
portion Of Virginia, where every op-
portunity was offered for escape, but
be was always in camp at night.
Shortly after his return from this ex-
pedition, charges were preferred
against him, and he was tried, con-
victed of insubordination by court
martial convened at Orange Court
House, and sentenced to imprison-
nent in Castle Thunder, at Rich
nond, for the war, forfeiting all pay
md allowances. At the evacuation
If Richmond he was still in prison,
md secured his release only by the
downfall Of the Confederacy.