Johnny Reb

[ reb ]

noun

, Informal.

1. U.S. History. a Confederate soldier.
2. a native or inhabitant of the southern U.S., especially of one of the former Confederate states; southerner.

Johnny Reb

noun

1. informal.
   (in the American Civil War) a Confederate soldier

Word History and Origins

Origin of Johnny Reb¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Word History and Origins

Origin of Johnny Reb¹

C19: from rebel (n)

Example Sentences

“It’s really about the nostalgia for me,” Thiessen says about Johnny Rebs.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2015, he got involved in a successful effort to change the “Johnny Reb” mascot at his old high school.

From New York Times

One memorial known as “At Ready” or “Johnny Reb,” which last year was removed from its perch outside the Albemarle County Courthouse in Charlottesville, was handed over to a historical foundation in Shenandoah County.

From Washington Post

Within a few years, a Confederate monument nicknamed “Johnny Reb” went up at that same courthouse, along with some old Confederate cannons.

From Washington Post

Now, she said, with Johnny Reb tucked in the back of the graveyard’s Confederate Section, “nobody talks about it anymore.”

From Washington Post