Johnny Rebel

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This article is about the slang term and national personification of the CSA. For other uses, see Johnny Rebel (disambiguation).
Image of Johnny Rebel as depicted on the cover of the book with the same title
Image of Johnny Rebel as depicted on the cover of the book with the same title

Johnny Rebel or Johnny Reb was the slang term for any Confederate soldier, or the Confederate Army as a whole, during the American Civil War[1].

It has also been used as a national personification of the Confederate States of America, though some dispute him as a "national personification" due to the questionability of the Confederacy being a legitimate nation. Moreover, as the country only existed for a few years, Johnny Reb -- as well as his Unionist counterpart Billy Yank -- has never been as formalized and well-known as Uncle Sam who represented the USA as a whole[2].

In newer times, the term seems to be occasionally used for romanticized freedom fighters in lyrics and movies.

Modern aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is nicknamed Johnny Reb as a hommage to Senator Stennis, whose home state was Mississippi.

In 1959 Johnny Horton had a hit song entitled Johnny Reb.

[edit] References

  1. ^ johnny reb - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  2. ^ Gett Kidz- Johnny Reb
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