The Free State of Jones : Mississippi's Longest Civil War

Between late 1863 and mid-1864, an armed band of Confederate deserters battled Confederate cavalry in the Piney Woods region of Jones County, Mississippi. Calling themselves the Knight Company after their captain, Newton Knight, they set up headquarters in the swamps of the Leaf River, where, legend has it, they declared the Free State of Jones. The story of the Jones County rebellion is well known among Mississippians, and debate over whether the county actually seceded from the state during the war has smoldered for more than a century. Adding further controversy to the legend is the story of Newt Knight's interracial romance with his wartime accomplice, Rachel, a slave. From their relationship there developed a mixed-race community that endured long after the Civil War had ended, and the ambiguous racial identity of their descendants confounded the rules of segregated Mississippi well into the twentieth century. Victoria Bynum traces the origins and legacy of the Jones County uprising from the American Revolution to the modern civil rights movement. In bridging the gap between the legendary and the real Free State of Jones, she shows how the legend--what was told, what was embellished, and what was left out--reveals a great deal about the South's transition from slavery to segregation; the racial, gender, and class politics of the period; and the contingent nature of history and memory. Between Late 1863 And Mid-1864, An Armed Band Of Confederate Deserters Battled Confederate Cavalry In The Piney Woods Region Of Jones County, Mississippi. Calling Themselves The Knight Company After Their Captain, Newton Knight, And Aided By Women, Slaves, And Children Who Spied On The Confederacy And Provided Food And Shelter, They Set Up Headquarters In The Swamps Of The Leaf River. There, Legend Has It, They Declared The Free State Of Jones. The Story Of The Jones County Rebellion Is Well Known Among Mississippians, And Debate Over Whether The County Actually Seceded From The State During The War Has Smoldered For More Than A Century. Adding Further Controversy To The Legend Is The Story Of Newt Knight's Interracial Romance With His Wartime Accomplice, Rachel, A Slave. Newt And Rachel's Relationship Resulted In The Growth Of A Mixed-race Community That Endured Long After The Civil War Had Ended. The Ambiguous Racial Identity Of Their Descendants Confounded The Rules Of Segregated Mississippi, As Vividly Evidenced By The 1948 Miscegenation Trial Of Great-grandson Davis Knight. In This Book, Victoria Bynum Pierces Through The Haze Of Romantic Legend, Lost Cause Rhetoric, Popular Memory, And Gossip That Has Long Shrouded The Story Of The Free State Of Jones. Relying On Exhaustive Research In A Wide Range Of Sources, She Traces The Origins And Legacy Of The Jones County Uprising From The American Revolution To The Modern Civil Rights Movement. In Bridging The Gap Between The Legendary And The Real Free State Of Jones, Bynum Shows How The Legend -- What Was Told, What Was Embellished, And What Was Left Out -- Reveals A Great Deal About The South's Transition From Slavery To Segregation; The Racial, Gender, And Class Politics Of The Period; And The Contingent Nature Of History And Memory. Sacred Wars: Race And The Ongoing Battle Over The Free State Of Jones -- The Origins Of Mississippi's Piney Woods People -- Jones County's Carolina Connection: Class And Race In Revolutionary America -- The Quest For Land: Yeoman Republicans On The Southwestern Frontier -- Piney Woods Patriarchs: Class Relations And The Growth Of Slavery -- Antebellum Life On The Leaf River: Gender, Violence, And Religious Strife -- Civil War, Reconstruction, And The Struggle For Power -- The Inner Civil War: Birth Of The Free State Of Jones -- The Free State Turned Upside Down: Colonel Lowry's Confederate Raid On Jones County -- Reconstruction And Redemption: The Politics Of Race, Class, And Manhood In Jones County -- Defiance And Domination: White Negroes In The Piney Woods New South -- Epilogue: The Free State Of Jones Revisited: Davis Knight's Miscegenation Trial -- Selected Descendants Of The Knight Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Coleman Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Welborn Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Bynum Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Collins Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Sumrall Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Welch Family -- Selected Descendants Of The Valentine Family -- The White Negro Community, 1880-1920. Victoria E. Bynum. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [281]-304) And Index. Newt Knight was a man who defied social rules by deserting from the Confederacy, hiding in the swamp with runaway slaves and other deserters to fight the Rebels and declare Jones County, Mississippi as the Free State of Jones. Some of his men were captured and executed and, as in the movie, the women in their family cut them down. Women also aided the Knight Company. Newt also took a black wife who had several mixed race children. Free State of Jones is an excellent comprehensive study that begins with people in the back country of North Carolina during the Revolutionary War who settled Jones County bringing with them their sense of justice and attitudes toward tyranny. Bynum mines every available source to recreate the society of Jones County through the decades from settlement into the 20th century. Bynum describes the mixed race community created by the tangled and complicated extended families who intermarried and created their own schools living in defiance of the hardening Jim Crow attitudes. Bynum expertly places Davis Knight’s 1948 charge of miscegenation in the larger historical context of the period and expertly connects it to Newt Knight’s flaunting sexual racial norms of his day. Newton Knight has been portrayed as a principled American patriot fighting for civil rights for African Americans and his mixed race progeny and as an unprincipled, villainous traitor who betrayed his race, the Confederacy and transgressed racial boundaries. Whichever narrative a person believes reveals a great deal about that person’s attitude about race and the Confederacy. This volume traces the origins and legacy of the Jones County uprising from the American Revolution to the modern civil rights movement. It analyzes the transition from slavery to segregation; the racial, gender and class politics of the period; and the contingent nature of history and memory Although South Carolina was the birthplace of most Jones County settlers, most of the parents of these settlers, especially those born before 1820, came from North Carolina.