This work uses the life of one man, Brigadier General Maxcy Gregg, to assess the life cycle of honor using newspapers, personal correspondence, pamphlets, and eulogies. Through early blunders with the public performance of honor, Gregg showcases honor’s relative flexibility as he grows into his role as an honorable southern gentleman as the South edges closer and closer to Civil War. As he came into his own, Gregg asserted his claim to honor through local political office, military service, and finally as a radical secessionist who helped lead South Carolina into armed rebellion against the union between the states. With his death at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Gregg cemented his legacy as an honorable man for all time.