diff --git a/src/dev/serial/Uart.py b/src/dev/serial/Uart.py
index 97efcdd462..7955d69163 100644
--- a/src/dev/serial/Uart.py
+++ b/src/dev/serial/Uart.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class Uart(BasicPioDevice):
 class SimpleUart(Uart):
     type = 'SimpleUart'
     cxx_header = "dev/serial/simple.hh"
-    big_endian = Param.Bool(False, "Is the device Big Endian?")
+    byte_order = Param.ByteOrder("little", "Device byte order")
     pio_size = Param.Addr(0x4, "Size of address range")
     end_on_eot = Param.Bool(False, "End the simulation when a EOT is "\
                             "received on the UART")
diff --git a/src/dev/serial/simple.cc b/src/dev/serial/simple.cc
index 97018abbe3..339d6b96dc 100644
--- a/src/dev/serial/simple.cc
+++ b/src/dev/serial/simple.cc
@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@
 #include "sim/sim_exit.hh"
 
 SimpleUart::SimpleUart(const SimpleUartParams *p)
-    : Uart(p, p->pio_size),
-      byteOrder(p->big_endian ? ByteOrder::big : ByteOrder::little),
-      endOnEOT(p->end_on_eot)
+    : Uart(p, p->pio_size), byteOrder(p->byte_order), endOnEOT(p->end_on_eot)
 {
 }