Year: 1868

| The Nashville Banner tells the story of
George Vestal, of Maury County, Tenn, a
native of North Carolina, and Quaker. who
refused on conscientious grounds to pay the
| i've hundred dollars exemption fee demanded
OF the Friends by the rebel authorities, and
Was consequently conscripted. He was taken
to Tullahoma, where the obvious sincerity of
his anti-war principles secured for him the
friendship of Generals Maury and Polk, and
he was released. He was again conscrpted
and sent to the Tennessee brigade in the
army of Virginia. lie told his colonel that
he could not fight, and would rather suffer
martyrdom than bear arms.


| The officer, who at that time was command
ing the brigade of Tennesseeans, bv reason
OF the capture of General Archer at Gettys
burg, was irascible and arbitrary. He be-
came very much enraged at VestaPs refusal,
and ordered the commandant of the Four.
| teenth Tennessee to apply the bayonet, saying
that he never yet saw the man whom cold
steel could not move. The colonel of that
regiment acquiesced with reluctance, but he
knew that it was his duty to obey. In few
days an inspection was ordered when it be-
came necessary to clean up quarters, arms.
&C., and detail was ordered t, clean up
the regimental quarters. 1t happened to be
Vestal's turn. and the orderly sergeant de-
tailed him. He signifed fatty his purpose
not to 60. His captain entreated him to
comply. Numerous members of the regiment
offered to pay the five hundred dollars re-
quired by the law rather thai, see him suffer
punishment. He firmly declined. assigning
the same reasons and alleged that the money
would go into the Treasury and be used to
cary on the war.


Finally the guards were ordered to fix
| bayonets and 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 pun.
ishment for not doing military duty, he would
| clean up the entire camp, but if it was mil
itary duty be would not. The guard entreat-
ed him, argued the case with him, begged
him to render the. application of the bayonet
unnecessary. He was inexorable, answering
with smile, " that the physical comfort
was nothing compared with the hereafter.
and that he was willing to die for the faith
that was in him."


Three men with sharp bayonets then thrust
them into the 1eshy part of his thighs, in
fiicted in all thirty-fve wounds, ranging in
depth from one fourth to an inch. Frequent
ly he was knocked 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 finally they refused to infict
further punishment. At this juncture. the
brave men who composed the old Fourteenth
regiment, became loud in their condemnation
of this proceeding. The excitement was in
tense. and had the brigadier general issued
a second order of this character. he would
have been unable to have it executed.


Vestal was coniened 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 long after the command moved to
ward the northern portion of Virginia, where