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Re: Confederate Oath?
In Response To: Confederate Oath? ()

Hello George,

The Confederacy had an oath for about everything. What I found is about a close as you can get to what a deserter from the North would have taken. It is an oath for non-citizens of the Confederacy, and it is the following.

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GENERAL ORDERS,
WAR DEPARTMENT,
ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL'S OFFICE, No. 13.
Richmond, March 13, 1862.

SECTION 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That every person not a citizen of one of the Confederate States engaged in the military service of the said Confederate States during the existing war against the United States of America, shall thereby, and whilst in such service, be under the protection of the Confederate States as fully as if he were a citizen thereof, the rights of a citizen being to such extent hereby conferred, and moreover shall have the right to become naturalized and to become a citizen of any one of the Confederate States, and shall thereby be entitled to all the rights and privileges of a citizen of said State of the Confederate States upon taking on oath to support the constitution of such State, and well and faithfully to serve the Confederate States of America, to maintain and support the Constitution and laws thereof, and to renounce all allegiance and obedience to any foreign government, state, sovereignty, prince, or potentate, and particularly be name the government, state, sovereignty, prince, or potentate of which he may be, or have been, a citizen or subject, and stating which one of the Confederate States he intends to become a citizen of; but if the State in which the said applicant shall have resided next before his application shall afterward become and member of this Confederacy, the citizenship of said applicant shall remain in said State at his election, notwithstanding proceedings under this act.

SEC. 2. The oath prescribed in the preceding section may be made by all persons below the rank of colonel, before the colonel or commanding officer of the regiment to which such persons may be attached, and said oath may be made by colonels, and all officers superior in rank to colonels, and all officers superior in rank to colonels, and by all person enlisted in the military service of the Confederate States not attached to regiments, before any commissioned officer of the Confederate States of rank higher than that of colonel. And it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War to provide blank forms of the oath required to be taken as aforesaid, and to cause the same to be distributed whenever necessary, and to make the regulations norming all persons now engaged in the military service of the Confederate States of the provisions of this act, and to cause all the oaths so taken as aforesaid to be returned to the War Department. And it shall be further the duty of the Secretary of War to file for record, in the district court of the Confederate States for the State and district where the capital may be situated, all the oaths so returned to the War Department as aforesaid. And it shall be the duty of the clerk of said district court to record all oaths of naturalization filed with him as aforesaid, and to keep an index of the same; for which service he shall be entitled to a fee of twenty-five cents for each naturalization oath, to be paid out of the public treasury in the same manner as his other fees of office.

Approved August 22, 1861.

II. Any person under the rank of colonel engaged in the military service of the Confederate States, and attached to a regiment, may become a citizen of one of said States by taking the following oath before the colonel or commanding officer of the regiment to which he is attached:

I, --- ---, do solemnly swear to support the constitution of the State of ---, of which said State I intend to become a citizen; that I will well and faithfully serve the Confederate States of America, and maintain and support the Constitution and laws thereof; and that I do renounce all allegiance and obedience to any foreign government, state, sovereignty, prince, or potentate, and particularly all allegiance and obedience to ---.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this --- day of ---, 186-, by --- ---, who is attached to the regiment under my command.

III. The same oath must be taken by colonels and officers superior in rank to colonels, and also by all persons enlisted in the military service of the Confederate States not attached to regiments, in order to become citizens of any one of the Confederate States. In such cases the oath must be taken and subscribed before a commissioned officer of the Confederate States, whose rank is higher than that of colonel, whose certificate must show that such oath was taken by a colonel, or by an officer superior in rank to a colonel, or by a person enlisted int he military service of the Confederate States not attached to any regiment.

IV. Any oath taken as aforesaid shall be returned to the War Department by the officer before whom it is taken.
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If I find one that is different I'll post it for you.

David

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Your welcome George *NM*