| Newton Knight | |
|---|---|
| Born | {{|1837|}} |
| Died | February 16, 1922 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | File:Flag of the United States.svg 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. 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 scavengers. 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 slave common-law wife, Rachel. He fathered children with her who bore the name Knight and were known to be biracial.
In popular culture[]
- Tap Roots, a 1948 film starring Van Heflin and Susan Hayward
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