“We don’t shoot people.” – Internal and External Conflicts Faced by Virginia Anabaptists during the Civil War

Indianapolis, IN

Taught to never cause physical harm to their neighbors, members of Anabaptist pacifist sects battled both internal and external conflicts as they first voted against Southern secession from the Union, and later conscription into Confederate ranks. Many who could not bear to join the army fled to the North, forming their own “Underground Railroad” of refugees evading conscription. Those who did not flee from forced enlistment either engaged in passive resistance – such as aiming their guns as to not hit a human target – or found non-combative work in the army as a cook or a teamster. Eventually, these sects did finally achieve recognition of conscientious objector status in the United States Military, aided by an unlikely ally: the famed General “Stonewall” Jackson. Unfortunately, however, there is not happy ending to this tale. In 1864, Union General Phillip Sheridan unleashed a “holocaust of fire” upon the Shenandoah Valley, forcing the peaceful folk who had attempted to remain disengaged from the national conflict to flee to other Anabaptist communities around the country. However, although these sects could not completely escape the war, their stories highlight the commitment to their pacifist values and faith in the face of persecution, a theme that transcends both history and geography and still affects these marginalized groups today.