Sentence:  This proclamation was issued as a <WSD>rallying point</WSD> for those loyal or penitent elements which were believed to exist in many of the insurgent states, and which, in the confusion of plans for reconstruction, were lying dormant, and without practical advantage to the states themselves and to the government. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A cause, symbol, or a place that may unite a fragmented group or persons opposing each over in other matters.