Who Was Newton Knight? Research Overview by Difan Li
When people think of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis often take the front seat as the most prominent figures that come to mind. However, there are several other important characters that played a major, yet often overlooked, role in the war. One such person was Newton Knight. How did a white farmer from Mississippi, a proud and dedicated man of the South become a deserter of the Confederate army and lead several revolts against the Confederacy? Knight was born in Jones County, Mississippi in 1837. His paternal grandfather was as slave owner but both he and his father were not. He married Serena Turner in 1858 and had nine children with her, and their family grew crops and livestock on their farm on the borders of town. In contrast to many landowners, Knight did not own any slaves or indentured servants. However, when the time came to fight, he enlisted in the Confederate army. Over time, his views toward the Confederacy soured as the army suffered from food shortages and lack of supplies and took horses and farm animals from the residents of Jones County under a “tax-in-kind” levy. When he heard what was happening at his home, he and other Jones County soldiers deserted and returned home to form a rebellion army. Newton brought together deserters, fugitive slaves, wives and daughters of soldiers to form the Knight Company, a guerrilla army consisting of everyone supporting Union. The group saw themselves as defenders of Jones County from the Confederacy and interfered with tax collectors, took Confederate army supplies, and killed supporters of the Confederacy. Early 1864, the Knight Company raised a U.S. flag in Ellisville, declaring it to be the “Free State of Jones.” They fought their last battle in early 1865, months before the end of the Civil War and disbanded to begin to rebuild their homes and farms. After the war, Knight worked to free enslaved children whose masters refused to emancipate. He later returned to farm and lived with his grandfather’s former slave Rachel (1840-1889) and had five children. Knights descendants from Rachel and Serena intermarried and town eventually made up of biracial children with at least one origin to Knight in Soso, Mississippi. Newton died in Mississippi on February 16, 1922. The Free State of Jones is back to its original name, Jones County, and is a swampy and rural area with churches and establishments. Ellisville county courthouse has a Confederate monument and no mention of Knight and his Anti-Confederacy movement. Though many perceive Knight as a traitor of the Confederacy, there are many more that still remember Newton Knight and the Knight’s Company and his legacy on the town.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Newton Knight Biography.” The Biography.com Website, A&E Television Networks, www.biography.com/historical-
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