FIGHTING FOR REVIVAL - Clemson University

Reynolds replied that he would speak to any man he wished. At that moment Joseph
struck Reynolds, killing him instantly. All three brothers drew their pistols, but the
gathered crowd urged them not to shoot. At this point Stephen Shaw, a man in the
crowd, began to quarrel with the brothers when they refused to allow him or anyone else
to aid Reynolds. Shaw defied them, and they fired 10-12 shots at Shaw, with Joseph
believed to have fired the fatal shot. Shaw died immediately. 62
Notions of honor were integral in nearly all of these acts of violence, and the
method by which these actions took place exhibit fundamental notions of honor as they
were understood in the South. There were key words and phrases that served as signals
of an affair of honor. Some had honorable implications whether written or uttered;
words like coward, liar, rascal, scoundrel, and puppy all demanded immediate challenge
as they were a direct affront against the manliness and chivalry at the heart of the ethic of
honor. As honor was reputation, failure to meet the challenge presented by words such as
these could result in a loss of honor. Furthermore, since physical appearance was a part
of reputation, specific physical gestures were also understood to be an affront to honor—
most notable among them a “nose-pulling.” The nose was seen as the most prominent
physical feature, and men of honor regarded the nose as such. A nose pulling, as
understood in the ethic of honor, was simply a more aggressive form of calling a man a
liar. What the acts of violence already mentioned in Edgefield illustrate is that the
concept of honor was widely understood and strictly followed in Edgefield—and the lie,
62 “The Murder of James Reynolds by Joseph Samuel, Wade Samuel, and Musco
Samuel, December 18, 1860,” and “The Murder of Stephen Shaw by Joseph Samuel,
Wade Samuel, and Musco Samuel, December 18, 1860,” Edgefield County Judge of
Probate, Coroner’s Book of Inquisitions, 1859-1868, ECA.
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