Toward A Southern Renaissance

Written By SM

How long will we be denied the dignity of our heritage?

For too long we have been denied the full measure of our inheritance. This is evident by the fact that the powers that be have no problem with your Confederate battle flag, your Confederate books, or your Confederate heritage so long as it is something to be despised and remains undignified and foolish. To some we represent an easy enemy, to others, we are a laughingstock, to others still, we are just a group of inconsequential backward country folk. The problem is, that we have been forcibly deracinated, degraded, and ripped away from our foundation by a modern culture that views Christian moral virtue and strong Southern identity as something that is both evil and anathema to the current understanding of reality. However, I am of the mind that it is time we revive the dignity of the Southern Agrarian tradition and begin to embody the great Christian chivalric frame of the Old South, and of Antebellum America as the founders intended.

General Robert E. Lee once said,

“A land without memories, is a people without liberty.”

Or in other words, when we forget who we are, we can’t hope to maintain the transcendent freedom of our own self-determination. It should be clear to all who read this, that the culture at large isn’t afraid of a weak and degraded South who has forgotten the essence of her spirit. You should also know, that it is just as easy to tell that they fear a motivated and dignified South, that is unified in the bonds of tradition and animated by the spirit of her past.

Our fathers who fought through the War Between The States would be taken aback by the fact that we are only willing to express their legacy with bumper stickers and the occasional appearance at a reenactment. That isn’t to say that these things are wrong, but it is to say that we need to remember who we are representing and the respect that they have earned with the price of their blood. The great men of the past had an understanding of their own dignity and personal honor that we have seemed to forget in our present day. Have you ever considered why it is that the bumper sticker isn’t threatening, but the monument is? The same Christian spirit of duty animated the Confederate movement as that of the very foundations of America. They were not men of half-measures and lip service, they were severe men of action. A monument represents more than just a personal sentiment, it is also an indication of how seriously a people take themselves and a proclamation to all who would see it, what its builders value. It is a permanent reminder of who they are and what they stand for. I understand many of us do not have the means to wage a war of influence against the modern culture. Monuments are expensive, I know. However, we can and should do everything possible to elevate the memory of our fathers and live as they would have wanted us to. Let our lives be a monument to the Christian chivalric Southern Agrarian tradition.

The Christian chivalric tradition of the Old Southern aristocracy is not just a myth, despite what the modern history books say. Although many (but not all) of the legacy Old Southern “aristocratic” families have chosen to forfeit their inheritance for the sake of favor in the eyes of a fallen world. Let this never be said of us. It is evident that there is a long-forgotten and unutilized legacy lying in the gutter waiting to be picked up, polished, and exalted for the whole world to see. If the “aristocrats” wish to betray their blood, then we yeomen will do what they won’t.

This leaves us with this question; how do we restore dignity to the cause of the Confederacy and the Southern Agrarian culture? I would say first of all, take your identity seriously, whether or not you are a Confederate or a Copperhead, you need to understand that the cause that so many died for is not just a costume you put on a few weekends a year or a battle flag in your yard. The identity is sacred, the blood of our fathers was spilled for their identity just as much as it was for the states' rights. When we recognize this glorious burden, we realize we must live differently. We must live with the same convictions as the Southern gentlemen of old.

To that end, let me ask you another question, dear reader. How would you act if you knew you were a descendant of General Lee? Perhaps someone reading this is. Would you allow yourself to be a drunkard, or a drug addict, disheveled in your appearance or would you do everything you could to be an individual worthy of the legacy of your ancestor? What I want you to see is that in this way we are all descendants of General Lee, so why don’t we live like that? Whether Confederate or Copperhead, there is an honor and solemnity toward this Southern Agrarian identity that must continue along with the tradition itself into perpetuity. One powerful motivator of Gen. Lee’s conduct was to bring honor to his family name in the wake of his father and brother falling from grace in the public eye.

I would recommend everyone read about the challenge Gen. Lee undertook to leave behind a positive legacy of selfless courage, perseverance, and discipline. It is no small feat to undertake the resurrection of a good family reputation. The remarkable thing about Lee’s quest is the fashion in which he accomplished his goal. In setting a new and higher standard for the Lee name, he simultaneously fully embodied what we would come to know as the Southern tradition. He was elegant, comely, unwavering, and severe. He would write letters with the deepest convictions while maintaining his outward composure under the most intense circumstances. He would serve and speak to his fellow soldiers and countrymen as though they were lifelong friends. He would die for hearth and home, and after the war, live to educate the next generation of Southern gentlemen that came through Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. The task we have ahead of us is not much different from that of Gen. Lee. However, unlike his personal mission, it was not other Southerners who damaged our legacy, no, that was done by the Yankee “Great American Empire”, and we must do the necessary work collectively as Southerners to restore the legitimacy of our tradition and people for posterity’s sake.

This identity isn’t just something reflected within ourselves, but it should manifest without as well, our conduct should never reflect poorly on our fathers. As Gen. Lee, we have a duty to be well educated, humble, diligent, righteous, and disciplined not only to honor the memories of those who came before us but also to make sure those who come after us understand the tradition they have been born into. The continuity of honorable gentlemanly conduct is paramount within our community. To that end, practically speaking, I would say, dress with purpose, you don’t have to own the fancy clothes of rich men to take pride in your appearance. Be clean and tidy, and don’t use vulgar language when not necessary. Be the Southern gentleman (or lady) you are, dear reader!

I urge you to continue reenacting, wear the symbols of the Southern cause, and let your battle flag fly, but also be men of good character, take pride in yourself, and live a life worthy of the tradition that has been passed down to us from our fathers. The South isn’t finished, not so long as men such as you and I continue to fight on her behalf. Deo Vindice!

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This is a short article written by SM, originally for the Confederateshop.com newsletter and “My Two Cents” blog. The article also appears on his “X” account (@SanguisMemoria). I asked him to revise and expand where he thought it would be practicable for publication here. It is a thought-provoking piece and worth your consideration. - J.R. Dunmore, EIC.