Chivalry: The Defining Element of Southern Culture
by D. Randolph Stoman
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
December 1996

Lee's Definition of a Gentleman... "The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman. The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly-the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light. The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others." -- Robert Edward Lee

The roots of chivalry are easily traced to the middle ages wherein the qualifications of the ideal knight were defined. Those qualifications included bravery, honour, courtesy, respect for women, protection for the weak, generosity and magnanimity to enemies. These same virtuous qualities were passed from generation to generation in the interest of conferring dignity upon one's posterity. Southern patriots are well aware of the fact that these qualities of chivalry are the foundation upon which the 'Southern culture' rests.
An objective examination of the rationale behind the War for Southern Independence will reveal that a chivalrous Southern people reluctantly entered the war in defence of their individual and corporate honour. The Southern army was driven by the unyielding desire to bring honour to one's God, family, and land. In contrast, the Union Army had no such motivation at the core.

One could make the argument that the chivalrous values and characteristics of the Southern forces, from Davis and Lee to the shoeless 'butternut', explained the stunning and persistent victories of an undermanned, underarmed, and undersupplied Southern army. A culture of chivalry, or the lack thereof, was the most distinguishing difference between the two peoples (armies). In essence, the Southern army was sustained not by material resources, but by its individual and collective honour.

The chivalrous characteristic of 'magnanimity to enemies' is intuitively obvious in the leadership exemplified by Robert E. Lee. When word reached the General that Union forces were destroying and ransacking nonmilitary property in the Southland, he issued a directive to all Southern forces that 'we will not stoop to the malignancy of the enemy.' Indeed, according to Shelby Foote, we see in the consummate Southern general his unusual disdain for John Pope, 'the miscreant'. Lee knew John Pope to be a man devoid of any element of chivalrous character. Pope was described by Montgomery Blair as 'a liar, a deceiver, a flatterer, and a trickster'. Of note is Lincoln's defence of Pope, by protesting that 'a liar might be brave and have skill as an officer'.

Our Southern culture has been diluted to a great extent simply because we compromise our chivalrous heritage and blame it on the Yankees. We, as Southerners, are in control of our individual honour regardless of how many 'foreigners' have relocated in our land. If we are to remain 'unreconstructed' and preserve our Southern culture, we can do no better than to exemplify the individual elements of chivalrous character. We must bring honour to God first, then to our families, and finally to our land. Let us uphold a keen sense of ethical conduct with respect and esteem shown to others. Though our ancestors were defeated, let us not be conquered.

Mr Stroman is a Reformed Presbyterian, husband, homeschooling father, and personnel manager.