How did Newt Knight feel about the Civil War?
In April 1861 the American Civil War began. Many Mississippians, including Newt Knight, were opposed to secession and war. They viewed the rebellious Confederate government as the invading body. But the state was swept up in war-fever, and those who opposed the new Confederate government were labeled cowards or traitors.
Was the real Newton Knight taken prisoner by the Confederates?
Was the real Newton Knight ever taken prisoner by the Confederates? Though it's not shown in the movie, Newt's friends later testified that he was indeed taken prisoner and tortured in early 1863 when he refused to return to the Confederate Army.
What did Newt Knight do in Jones County?
Captain Newt Knight was called into service by the United States Army as a commissioner in charge of distributing thousands of pounds of food to the poor and starving people in the Jones County area. Newt was also sent to rescue several Black children who were still being held in slavery in Smith County.
How many children did newt and Serena Knight have?
Serena Knight was still living with Newt in 1880, years after Rachel, a former slave of Newt's grandfather, had started giving birth to children believed to be fathered by Newt (they would have a total of five children together). Serena herself was the mother of nine of Newt's kids (only one child is shown in the movie).
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Is Free State of Jones a real story?
Premise. The story is based on the history of Jones County, Mississippi, during the Civil War and the period immediately after it. The overall story follows the history of Jones County; some of the events portrayed are true. The film is credited as being "based on the books The Free State of Jones by Victoria E.
Is Moses Washington a real person?
Moses Washington (died 1865) was the leader of a group of runaway slaves who helped to form the Free State of Jones in 1862. Washington led several slaves into the swamps of Jones County, Mississippi, where they were joined by Confederate deserter Newton Knight.
Are there any descendants of Newton Knight?
Davis Knight, a great-grandson of Newton Knight, Serena Knight and Rachel Knight, was tried in court on charges of illegal interracial marriage in 1948. Edgar and Randy Williamson, Newton Knight's great-great grandchildren, went to court in the 1960s after they were banned from a white school.
Who was Davis Knight?
Davis Knight (8 January 1925 – 8 August 1959) was a Mississippi man of distant black descent who, in 1948, was charged with miscegenation for marrying a "white" woman, Junie Lee Spradley.
How old was Newton Knight when he died?
84 years (1837–1922)Newton Knight / Age at death
What is on Moses Washington's neck?
The principal black character in the film, Moses Washington, is an escaped slave we first see with a spiked iron collar around his neck – a punishment from his previous owner.
Where is Newt Knight buried?
Newt Knight Family Cemetery, MSNewton Knight / Place of burial
What is on the guys neck in Free State of Jones?
One of them, Moses (Mahershala Ali), endures a tall, spiked iron collar around his neck, a punishment inflicted by a slave owner for his earlier attempts at escape.
How many children did Rachel and Newton Knight have?
Together Newton and Rachel had two children, Martha Ann in 1865 and John Stewart in 1868.
How many kids did Serena Knight have?
And, yet, Serena appears central to Newt's decision to desert the Confederate Army; she was the mother of nine of his children.
Why did Davis Knight go to jail?
Convicted of miscegenation, the Ellisville Court sentenced him to five years in Mississippi's notorious Parchman prison.
Was Newton Knight married?
Serena Turnerm. 1858–1922Rachel Knightm. ?–1889Newton Knight/Spouse
Who was Newton Knight?
Newton Knight, a white Mississippi farmer, led armed opposition to the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War, creating “The Free State of Jones,” a county that supported the Union in the war.
Where was Newton Knight born?
Newton Knight was born in Jones County, Mississippi in 1837. His grandfather had owned a large number of slaves, but his father did not. The Knight family grew food crops and raised livestock on their farm, and did not align themselves with the slave-holding class that supported secession and the Civil War.
What did Newton Knight say about slavery?
Newton Knight opposed the state seceding from the United States, saying that white farmers like himself did not support slavery. After deserting from the Confederate army, he led a rebellion against the Confederacy in Jones County, according to lore and declaring it “The Free State of Jones.”. After the war, he lived with a woman who had been ...
What did the Knight Company do in 1864?
Their insurgent actions included impeding tax collectors, taking Confederate army supplies to redistribute to Jones County’s residents and even killing supporters of the Confederacy. By early 1864, Knight Company had raised a U.S. flag in Ellisville, although whether they actually declared “The Free State of Jones” is uncertain.
Who kidnapped Michelle Knight?
In 2002, Michelle Knight was kidnapped by Ariel Castro in Cleveland, Ohio. She was held captive and sexually abused by Castro for more than a decade. She was rescued in May 2013.
Did the Knight Company raise the flag in Ellisville?
By early 1864, Knight Company had raised a U.S. flag in Ellisville, although whether they actually declared “The Free State of Jones” is uncertain. Nonetheless, their rebellion had come to the attention of Confederate leaders who sent troops to stop it. The troops found and executed many members of Knight Company, but not Knight or other leaders who had hidden in the swamps. They continued to interfere with the Confederate war efforts, fighting their last battle in early 1865, only months before the Civil War ended.
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Where was Newton Knight born?
Newton Knight was born in Jones County, Mississippi, in 1929. He was born into a poor farming family. Newton, on growing up, equally became a farmer. Even though his grandfather (John “Jackie” Knight) was a slaveholder, Newton (and his father, Albert) never took part in the inhumane practice. Unlike many farmers in the south, they did not rely on ...
What county did Newton Knight free?
He did not only gather his own army to fight the separatist forces but also freed his home county of Jones County from the rule of the Confederate government. Newton Knight is however not without some controversies. He is one of the divisive figures in the history of the American civil war. While some regard him as a betrayer ...
Why did Newton Knight desert the army?
Some of the reasons for his desertion include the fact that the army was not being supplied with the provisions they needed, they were being sent to fight the enemy with no arms.
How many clashes did the Knight Company have with the Confederate army?
They took many steps to undermine the Confederate army and were involved in at least 14 clashes with the army. The Knight Company’s efforts extended beyond Jones County and covered the south-east parts of Mississippi. The group was supported by the rural people who fed them not only food but also information.
How many children did Newton have?
They had nine children together. In the 1970s, Newton and his wife separated and he got married to Rachael, a woman who was previously his grandfather’s slave. This was against the segregation laws in Mississippi but Newton did not give a hoot. They went on to have five children.
What was Newton's role in the Civil War?
He was appointed by the new pro-union government to share food amongst the poor.
Who led the Knight Company?
The group consisted of fellow army deserters as well as runaway slaves numbering 125. Led by Newton Knight, the group fought and chased away Confederate officers sent to seize people’s properties or force them to join the army.
Who did Newton Knight free?
Newton Knight returned home and took up a job freeing black children from white masters who were refusing to emancipate them. He further stirred the pot when, rather than move back in with his wife, he took up residence with one of his grandfather’s former slaves, Rachel.
How many children did Newton Knight have?
Together they had five children, most of whom married some of Newton’s first wife Serena’s nine children. Before long, the town was almost entirely made up of mixed race children with at least one branch of their family tree tracing back to Newton Knight’s roots. Today, the Free State of Jones is back to being known as Jones County.
What was Newton Knight's army called?
Along with several soldiers from Jones County, he deserted the Confederacy, returning to his hometown to form his own rebellion army. Known as the Knight Company , the guerrilla army took in anyone and everyone who wished to support the Union.
What did the able-bodied do to help Newton Knight?
Those who were able-bodied spent their time evading Confederate soldiers, helping others avoid capture, and attempting to break through Confederate lines to join the Union army. Those who couldn’t fight contributed to Newton Knight’s efforts in other ways, serving as lookouts, cooking, cleaning, and tending to their wounded.
Was Newton Knight a traitor?
The older generations still think of Newton Knight as a traitor, more so for the fact that he married a black woman than the fact that he betrayed the Confederacy, though they’d never admit it. To an outsider, the town looks like any other southern town, proud of their Confederate heritage and still wary of liberalism.
How did Newton Knight die?
Much of his time was spent doting on the growing number of children and grandchildren who surrounded him. It has been said that he died of a heart attack in February 1922 while dancing on the porch of his grandaughter's cabin. Per his instructions, he was buried next to Rachel who had passed away in 1889; thus defying the law at the time that said whites and blacks could not be buried in the same cemetery. -Smithsonian.com
Who played Newton Knight in Free State of Jones?
The Free State of Jones book author Victoria E. Bynum said that Daniel (Jacob Lofland), the character Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey) tries to protect in battle, is at best a composite of various 7th Battalion men who were killed at the Battle of Corinth. Like in the movie, the battle and its casualties deepened the disillusionment ...
Why did Newton Knight kill Amos McLemore?
Like in the film, Knight's reason for killing McLemore was to stop him from leading efforts to round up local deserters for execution. Amos McLemore's death is known as being the opening shot that sparked the insurrection against the Confederacy, spearheaded by Mississippi Unionists and Confederate deserters. -Renegade South
What did the Knight Company do in 1864?
In the spring of 1864, the Knight Company declared loyalty to the Union and overthrew the Confederate authorities in Jones County, Mississippi. In the process, they crippled the "tax in kind" system of the Confederacy and redistributed Confederate supplies. They also vowed to defend each other's farms and homes.
Did Serena Knight live with Newt?
Yes . Serena Knight was still living with Newt in 1880, years after Rachel, a former slave of Newt's grandfather, had started giving birth to children believed to be fathered by Newt (they would have a total of five children together). Serena herself was the mother of nine of Newt's kids (only one child is shown in the movie). She did not move out of the household until sometime between 1880 and 1900. During the first five years following Rachel's death in 1889, Newt fathered two kids with Rachel's daughter from another man, Georgeanne. The Free State of Jones book author Victoria E. Bynum suggests that this may have been what finally made Serena leave the household. She remained in the Knight community, however, moving in with her daughter Mollie and Mollie's husband Jeffrey (Rachel's son by another man). -Renegade South
Was Newton Knight in the army?
The Free State of Jones true story reveals that Newton Knight enlisted in the army in the early fall of 1861. The Free State of Jones book author Victoria E. Bynum believes that Knight did not necessarily enlist out of fear of conscription but rather because he just wanted to be a soldier. -Mississippi History Now.
Was Newton Knight ever taken prisoner?
Was the real Newton Knight ever taken prisoner by the Confederates? Though it's not shown in the movie, Newt's friends later testified that he was indeed taken prisoner and tortured in early 1863 when he refused to return to the Confederate Army. The army also destroyed everything he owned, including his mules and horses, leaving his family destitute. -Mississippi History Now
What was Newt Knight's view of the Civil War?
Many Mississippians, including Newt Knight, were opposed to secession and war. They viewed the rebellious Confederate government as the invading body. But the state was swept up in war-fever, and those who opposed the new Confederate government were labeled cowards or traitors. All across Mississippi, the opponents of the Confederacy were often persecuted in what witnesses described as “… a reign of terror … Many are forced into the army, instant death being the penalty in case of refusal, thus constraining us to bear arms against our country ….” Under these circumstances, Knight reluctantly enlisted in the Confederate Army in the early fall of 1861. He had only served for a few months when General Braxton Bragg furloughed him to go home to attend to a pressing family matter. Newt’s father, Albert Knight, was dying.
Where was Newton Knight born?
Newton Knight was born in 1837 near the Leaf River in Jones County, Mississippi, a region romantically described in 1841 by the historian J.F.H. Claiborne as a “land of milk and honey.” The landscape was dominated by virgin longleaf pines. Wolves and panthers still roamed the land.
Why did Newt Knight join the Mississippi Infantry?
They enlisted together so they could avoid being drafted away to serve with strangers. After the war, Newt claimed that he only agreed to serve as an orderly to care for the sick and wounded.
How did Newton Knight die?
Newton Knight died February 16, 1922, of natural causes at age 85. Under the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, it was a crime for White people and African Americans to be buried in the same cemetery. Yet even in death, Newt Knight was defiant. He left careful instructions for his funeral and was buried on a high ridge overlooking his old farmstead in a simple pine box beside Rachel, who had died in 1889. The inscription on his tombstone reads, “He Lived for Others.”
Who was the captain of the Knight Company?
They were known as the Knight Company and Newt was elected captain. A tall, powerful man, Newt was known for his imposing presence and steel-blue eyes. He was an expert with his double-barreled, muzzle-loading shotgun, and he proved to be a very skilled and resourceful guerrilla war captain. To avoid capture, the Knight men would disappear into swamp hideouts such as “Devil’s Den” or “Panther Creek.” They communicated with each other by blowing signals into hollow cattle horns. The Knight Company was aided by sympathetic local people, White and Black. In particular, a enslaved woman named Rachel helped supply Newt with food and information.
Who was Newt's ally in the war?
Newt retreated to his farm in Jasper County after 1875 and brought his wartime ally, the formerly enslaved Rachel, with him. His White wife, Serena, soon left and Newt and Rachel were married. She bore him several children. Newt faced danger for living openly with a Black woman. But, as he liked to say, “There’s [sic] a lots of ways I’d ruther [sic] die than be scared to death.”
What happened to Newt in the Battle of Vicksburg?
In May 1863, the Seventh Battalion was rushed into the Battle of Vicksburg. When Newt refused to go back into the Confederate Army, he was arrested and taken prisoner. His friends later testified that the Confederate authorities tortured Newt and destroyed everything he owned, including his horses and mules, which “left his family destitute.” During the six-week siege of Vicksburg, the Confederate soldiers were trapped in a chamber of horrors. One Jones County soldier walked home after the Confederate defeat at Vicksburg only to find that his wife had starved to death. She had given every last morsel of food to the children. After the fall of Vicksburg in July 1863, many Confederate soldiers deserted and came back to Jones County.
