“Well Calculated to Test the Loyalty of Her Citizens”
“Well Calculated to Test the Loyalty of Her Citizens”
Property, Principle, and the Oath of Allegiance
This chapter examines how Confederate and Union forces tried to enforce loyalty among Mississippians by judging them according to the standard of protective nationalism. Both sides used the Oath of Allegiance and took advantage of situations such as property disputes and alleged war profiteering to gauge citizens’ alleged national loyalties. Although Mississippians had largely embraced a protective nationalist fervor during the buildup to secession and throughout the first year of the war, such enthusiasm came easy when the conflict’s hardships had yet to come to their doorsteps. As the second year of the war arrived, however, military events tested Mississippians’ ability to devote themselves entirely to the Rebel cause. Their multiple allegiances made loyalty enforcement problematic for two warring governments seeking to put citizens into dichotomized “loyal” and “disloyal” camps. The ideals of protective nationalism proved elusive when faced with the harsh reality of its practical implication on the ground.
Keywords: Oath, Allegiance, Property, Loyalty enforcement, profiteering
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