James Rumley, Diary Entry, March 25, 1863
Title
James Rumley, Diary Entry, March 25, 1863
Description
This is the March 25, 1863 entry of James Rumley in his diary. The selected passage focuses on his analysis of the Oath of Allegiance required by occupying Federal forces for local citizens to ensure their rights. This oath created a burden for many, not allowing some to travel more than a mile, even in the face of starvation. James Rumley's adamant Confederate ideology opines that the Oath is a farce, and breaks state laws.
Creator
James Rumley
Source
Rumley, James, and Judkin Browning. The Southern Mind under Union Rule: The Diary of James Rumley, Beaufort, North Carolina, 1862-1865. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, 2009. Print.
Coverage
Craven County, NC
Carteret County, NC
Carteret County, NC
Text
"The Oath of Allegiance."
A most discusting subject to the loyal citizens of this county, is the “Oath of Allegiance†reguired by the Federal authorities to place the citizens rectus in curia with them. Every intelligent citizen knowns that his alledience is due to his own state, and he cannot conscientiously abjure it. The law of the state forbids it. Public opinion generally forbids it. But the Yankees, who care nothing about our state laws, and scout the idea of state allegiance when opposed to their nigger government, cling to the oath as apolitical touchstone to test the loyalty of every man to the government, and will grant very few priveledges without it. What, then, are people to do, who without taking the oath cannot go a mile from their homes to attend to business though starvation may satare them in the face! Many have already suffered inconviences, privations and losse, rather then take the detestable oath.
A most discusting subject to the loyal citizens of this county, is the “Oath of Allegiance†reguired by the Federal authorities to place the citizens rectus in curia with them. Every intelligent citizen knowns that his alledience is due to his own state, and he cannot conscientiously abjure it. The law of the state forbids it. Public opinion generally forbids it. But the Yankees, who care nothing about our state laws, and scout the idea of state allegiance when opposed to their nigger government, cling to the oath as apolitical touchstone to test the loyalty of every man to the government, and will grant very few priveledges without it. What, then, are people to do, who without taking the oath cannot go a mile from their homes to attend to business though starvation may satare them in the face! Many have already suffered inconviences, privations and losse, rather then take the detestable oath.
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Citation
James Rumley, James Rumley, Diary Entry, March 25, 1863, Civil War Era NC, accessed November 17, 2024, https://cwnc.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/539.