# Colonel Cresswell — The Quest of the Silver Fleece character guide > Colonel Cresswell in The Quest of the Silver Fleece by W. E. B. Du Bois. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Cresswell, old Colonel Cresswell, the Colonel **First appearance:** 0006-iv-town ## Snapshot The Cresswell patriarch who credits his own nerve for the cotton corner, the Colonel rules his family and his fields with lazy, absolute authority. ## Who they are Colonel Cresswell is the old Southern landowner whose credit and stubbornness carried the cotton corner through, and who now warms to Northern capital while still scorning the Taylors as social inferiors. He grows proud of Zora's twin bales in his warehouse and entertains sumptuously on the proceeds, even as his son's choices and his own racial prejudices threaten the family's standing. His refusal to see Alwyn as anything but a presumptuous servant embodies the old order the novel is testing. ## Relationships ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _family_ Colonel Cresswell is Zora's father, but he treats her with cold disdain due to her illegitimate birth and his own racist beliefs. ### [Mary Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mary_taylor) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell employs Mary Taylor as a house servant, and he views her with a mix of paternalism and sexual objectification. ### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell and Mrs. Vanderpool are business partners in the cotton industry, cooperating despite underlying distrust. ### [Harry Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/harry_cresswell) _family_ Colonel Cresswell is Harry's father, and their relationship is marked by disappointment and conflict over Harry's reckless behavior. ### [Bles Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn) _rivalry_ Bles and Colonel Cresswell are antagonists, as Bles challenges the Colonel's authority and exposes his corrupt practices. ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _family_ Colonel Cresswell is Zora's father, but he treats her with cold disdain due to her illegitimate birth and his own racist beliefs. ### [Zora Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/zora_cresswell) _family_ Colonel Cresswell is Zora's father, but he treats her with cold disdain due to her illegitimate birth and his own racist beliefs. ### [Mary Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mary_taylor) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell employs Mary Taylor as a house servant, and he views her with a mix of paternalism and sexual objectification. ### [Mary Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mary_taylor) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell employs Mary Taylor as a house servant, and he views her with a mix of paternalism and sexual objectification. ### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell and Mrs. Vanderpool are business partners in the cotton industry, cooperating despite underlying distrust. ### [Mrs. Vanderpool](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/mrs_vanderpool) _professional_ Colonel Cresswell and Mrs. Vanderpool are business partners in the cotton industry, cooperating despite underlying distrust. ### [Bles Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/bles_alwyn) _rivalry_ Bles and Colonel Cresswell are antagonists, as Bles challenges the Colonel's authority and exposes his corrupt practices. ## In the story ### [Mr. Harry Cresswell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/viii-mr-harry-cresswell) Discusses the cotton combine letter with his son and worries about the cost of labor. ### [X: Mr. Taylor Calls](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/x-mr-taylor-calls) The patriarch of the Cresswell family, who is initially indignant at Taylor's proposal but is restrained by his son, revealing his financial desperation. ### [The Rape of the Fleece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xvii-the-rape-of-the-fleece) At the Christmas market, he is excited by Zora's cotton and insists it must be theirs, showing his exploitative nature. He dismisses Harry's fairness. ### [The Cotton Corner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xviii-the-cotton-corner) Initially hesitant about the Farmers' League scheme, he is persuaded by his son Harry to participate, hoping to profit from the cotton corner. ### [XX: The Weaving of the Silver Fleece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xx-the-weaving-of-the-silver-fleece) Proud of the Silver Fleece but troubled by the upcoming marriages of his children. He dismisses Zora's presence and orders her to work in the fields. ### [The Buying of the Swamp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-buying-of-the-swamp) Sees an opportunity to exploit Zora's plan, believing the deal is risk-free and that he can get the swamp cleared for almost nothing. ### [XXXIV: The Return of Alwyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-return-of-alwyn) Suspicious and hostile, he confronts Alwyn and Zora, reinforcing racial boundaries. ### [The Cotton Mill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxv-the-cotton-mill) Initially resistant to the mill scheme, he is concerned about the school's growth and the threat posed by educated Black leaders like Zora and Bles, whom he believes must be crushed. ### [The Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-land) Colonel Cresswell actively opposes the school's land project, charging the men with debts and attempting to cheat Zora, but is ultimately outmaneuvered. ### [Atonement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/chapters/xxxviii-atonement) On his deathbed, he makes his will, leaves a legacy to the school, and dies after a haunting encounter with Emma. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters/colonel_cresswell - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_quest_of_the_silver_fleece_se/characters