Newton Knight

Newton Knight
Born	{{|1837|}}
Died	February 16, 1922(1922-02-16) (aged 92)
Nationality	United States

Captain Newton Knight (1837 – February 16, 1922)^[1] was the grandson of John "Jackie" Knight, who was awarded land grants for his service in the War of 1812 in Jones County, Mississippi and owned slaves. Unlike many in his family and his state Newton Knight was against slavery and favored equality between races. Like his father Newton refused to own slaves and was poor compared to slave owners in his family. After being drafted into the confederate army he deserted twice, forming a company of like minded deserters to fight the confederacy at home the second time. He tried to secede his land holdings in Jones County from the Confederacy during the American Civil War and form a "Free State of Jones" within Mississippi. He led a company of sympathizers who attempted to protect the local people from both Northern and Southern Requisition. Many people thought he was in contact with Sherman, and he may have been given some instruction from Sherman. His outlaw company avoided capture by hiding among the many bluffs along the Leaf River. He also generated controversy within his family and locally for living openly with a black wife, Rachel. He fathered children with her who bore the name Knight and were known to be biracial. The controversy was not his fathering children with Rachel, or his living with her but the way he considered her a wife, treated her as a wife, recognized his children, tried to provide for his half black children, and wanted the local school to accept all of his children. Newton was active in supporting Reconstruction, but faded from public life afterwards.

In popular culture

• Tap Roots, a 1948 film starring Van Heflin and Susan Hayward

References

1. ^ "Newton Knight and the Legend of the Free State of Jones". http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/articles/309/newton-knight-and-the-legend-of-the-free-state-of-jones. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 

Further reading

• Bynum, Victoria E. (2003), The Free State of Jones: Mississippi's Longest Civil War, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, ISBN 0807854670 
• Jenkins, Sally; Stauffer, John (2009), The State of Jones, New York: Doubleday, ISBN 9780385525930 
• Knight, Ethel (1951), Echo of the Black Horn: An authentic tale of "the Governor" of "The Free State of Jones 

Persondata
Name	Knight, Newton
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 10, 1829
Place of birth
Date of death	February 16, 1922
Place of death