Newton Knight: Heroes of the Civil War, by Difan Li

 Newton Knight: Heroes of the Civil War

By Difan Li

When one thinks of prominent figures in the Civil War, the names Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis are most likely to come to mind. Very few people may immediately stumble across the name of Newton Knight. Nevertheless, Knight played a great role in aiding the Union during the Civil War, despite an ambiguous background and life. Newton Knight was a white Mississippie farmer, who was against the Confederacy during the war. He opposed the succession of states from the US, and was a representation of the percentage of white farmers that held no support for slavery. One of his most well-known acts takes place after his desertion of the Confederate Army, when he led a revolt against the Confederacy in Jones Country and created “The Free State of Jones,” a country that supported the Union rather than 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, having anti-slavery views. Knight married Serena Turner in 1858 and had nine children with her. He, his wife, and his children grew crops and livestock on their farm on the borders of town and did not own any slaves or indentured servants. 

Knight was a proud man of the South and once the Civil War began, he enlisted in the Confederate army. However, his true motives are debated between the influence of pro-war passion, avoiding conscription, or desire to serve as a soldier. Despite what originally drove him to the war, he was soon “betrayed” by the Confederacy. The army suffered from food shortages and lack of supplies, and back at home in Jones County, news came that the Confederate Army was taking horses and farm animals from residents, now mainly consisting of the defenseless wives of soldiers and children. Knight and the other Jones Country soldiers deserted, returning home to form a rebellion army. In November 1863, Major Amos McLemore was sent by Confederacy to capture the deserters and was subsequently shot in Ellisville, a part of Jones County. It was likely that Knight killed him.

After Knight’s return to Jones County, several changes took place. He brought together deserters, fugitive slaves, wives and daughters of soldiers to form the Knight Company, a guerrilla army that consisted of everyone supporting Union. They saw themselves as defenders of Jones County from Confederacy. They interfered with tax collectors, took Confederate army supplies, and killed supporters of the Confederacy. Able-bodied members even tried to break through Confederate lines to join the Union army. From 1862 to the creation of the Free State of Jones, the Knight Company fought about 14 times against Confederacy. In 1864, the Knight Company raised a U.S. flag in Ellisville, declaring it the “Free State of Jones.” Confederate leaders sent troops to stop them, but Knight and leaders of the Company evaded capture by hiding in the swamps. The Knight Company fought its last battle in early 1865, months before the end of the Civil War, and thus it disbanded, with the members turning to rebuild their farms. 

After the war, during the Reconstruction Period, Knight worked to free enslaved children whose masters refused to emancipate. In 1875, Knight led a regiment that helped protect African American citizens’ right to vote, though it did not garner much success. He returned to his farm, living with his grandfather’s former slave Rachel, and later having five children. Knight’s children from both marriages intermarried and the town was eventually made up of his biracial descendants. Newton Knight died in Mississippi on February 16, 1922

The Free State of Jones is now back to its original name of Jones County, a swampy and rural area with churches and establishments, as well as rather conservative residents. The Ellisville county courthouse has a Confederate monument, with no mention of the anti-Confederacy that took place during the Civil War. The older generation still perceive Knight as a traitor, due to his marriage to a black woman and his betrayal of the Confederacy. However, many still remember Newton Knight and Knight’s Company as heroes, leaving his legacy on the town.

Works Cited

Biography.com Editors. “Newton Knight Biography.” The Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 May 2016, www.biography.com/historical-figure/newton-knight.

Serena, Katie. “Meet Newton Knight —the Southerner Who Terrorized the Confederacy.” All That’s Interesting, 8 Jan. 2022, allthatsinteresting.com/newton-knight.