"We have only one rule here - to act like a gentleman at all times." - Robert E. Lee

Confederate Colonel Objectives

Our objectives are to promote, encourage, and defend:
• the code of the Southern Gentleman and Southern Lady as guidelines for daily living
• the customs and traditions of The Old South in our homes and in our daily lives
• the tradition of Southern hospitality and gracious living
• the culture, heritage, and symbols of The Old South

We recognize that the code of the Southern Gentleman is best exemplified in the life of Robert E. Lee and other great leaders of the Confederate States of America.

We define Southern Culture as being the best of the antebellum period of The South.

A Southern Gentleman is usually also a Christian Gentleman. Christianity can shape and mold a man into a Southern Gentleman, or a woman into a Southern Lady. Confederate Colonel is a Christian web site.

 

What you'll find here - and why

There are many faces of The South. The popular media image of a Southerner is some combination of NASCAR, "professional wrestling", ball caps advertising Redman chewing tobacco, and pickup trucks flying a "rebel flag". In other words - "redneck". That is a stereotype promoted by the media; unfortunately, many Southerners have adopted that stereotype as their own. While we certainly have no authority to define Southern culture, that is not what we are about. Here at Confederate Colonel, we take our inspiration from the original Southern Gentleman - Robert E. Lee.

Although the War is clearly the defining moment in the history of The South, it is still only a few short years in what really makes up The South. The South did not die in 1865. Here at Confederate Colonel, we don't focus on the War for Southern Independence, but rather on the broader issues of Southern culture during the Antebellum period - the Golden Era of The South - and how it still relates to Southerners today.

We specify the Southern Gentleman and Southern Lady as opposed to the simple terms of "gentleman" or "lady". There is a difference. The word "gentleman" is also used for the English tradition of the gentleman. That is largely determined by birth and the English nobility structure. The Southern Gentleman, on the other hand, has no formal connection to the family one was born into other than the fact that the characteristics of a Southern Gentleman are usually passed down from one generation to the next in families that value those characteristics. One can overcome the place and circumstances of his birth and be a Southern Gentleman by making the decision to follow that path. The "Southern" in Southern Gentleman also refers to the warmth and traditions of Southern culture.

Living life as a Southern Gentleman is really more of a journey than a destination. It is something we strive for in our daily living, but it is a goal that we never truly attain. Even Robert E. Lee surely had days when he must have shaken his head and wondered how he could have acted so badly. No one is a Gentleman all the time, no matter how hard we try. Southern Gentleman is a title that must be conferred by others and not by oneself. Like true nobility, being a Southern Gentleman is determined by actions - not by birth.

While the emphasis may appear to be on the Southern Gentleman, the Southern Lady is of equal significance at Confederate Colonel. References to "Gentleman," in most cases, also apply to "Lady" - we will not play linguistic political correctness games in order to appear "inclusive". That is understood by any Gentleman or Lady.

That which makes The South such a beautiful culture is sadly missing in today's "politically correct," multi-cultural world. It takes a conscious effort to recover that lost culture and way of life. Confederate Colonel is where you'll find Southern Gentlemen and Ladies who live life with the quiet dignity that the title Gentleman or Lady calls for. The goal of Confederate Colonel is to remind you and those around you that The Lost Cause was an ideal worth fighting for - and certainly worth making a part of our lives today.

While we would love to be able to sit back and enjoy all that our Southern culture and heritage has to offer, a wicked and perverse world continues to intrude into our lives. In response, we must devote ourselves to defending our culture and our heritage - just as our ancestors did. Confederate Colonel serves as a forum to come up with creative ways to defend against the rapidly growing attacks on The South.

 

A Brief Tour of Confederate Colonel

Home Page

This is where you are now. It describes our objectives, the forum rules, and has other information that is not suited to a forum format.

Articles

You will find the links to articles that were written by forum members. These are better presented as a web page rather than being a forum post. Some articles started life as a forum post and were converted into article format.

The Forum

This is the discussion area. Think of it as a group of Southern Gentlemen and Ladies gathered together to discuss the issues important to the objectives of Confederate Colonel.

Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette

This is a project of Confederate Colonel in which we have compiled a code of etiquette describing how the Confederate flag should be used and displayed so that it is always done with the respect and honor that it is due.

Links Page

This is a listing of other web sites that we believe may be of interest to Southern Gentlemen and Ladies.

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Robert E. Lee's statement to his students is the one over-riding rule at Confederate Colonel. "We have only one rule here - to act like a gentleman at all times." We will close with Robert E. 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."

Confederate Colonel is owned and operated by Stephen Clay McGehee.