Newton Knight was a white farmer who opposed slavery and sedition against Confederate forces in the wake of the American Civil War. Not only did he gather his own army to fight the Separatist forces, but he also liberated his home county of Jones County from Confederate government rule.
However, Newton Knight is not without controversy. He is one of the most divisive figures in American Civil War history. While some see him as a traitor to the Southern cause, others see him as a hero and champion of the rights of the downtrodden.
Newton Knight Bio
Newton Knight was born in Jones County, Mississippi, in 1929. He was born into a poor farming family. Newton also became a farmer growing up. Although his grandfather (John “Jackie” Knight) was a slave owner, Newton (and his father Albert) never participated in the inhumane practice. Unlike many southern farmers, they did not rely on slaves to do their farm work, instead asking for the help of their children.
Newton received no formal education but was tutored by his mother. In 1958 he married for the first time a woman named Serena Turner and both continued farming life in Jasper County, Mississippi. They would later have nine children together.
American Civil War
Newton was opposed to slavery from the start as a result of his religious beliefs. However, when the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Newton joined the fight for the Confederate Army. Many reasons were given why Newton would fight for a cause he opposed. Some argue he volunteered to avoid conscription, while others claim it was because of his loyalty to his fatherland. It has also been suggested that he just loved being a soldier. This may not be wrong as he was known for his shooting skills. Whatever the reason, Newton enlisted in the Confederate forces in July 1861 and fought on their side for some time.
Newton and other deserters were further angered by the “Twenty Negro Law” enacted by the Confederate forces. The law allowed peasants who owned up to 20 slaves to avoid fighting in war. For every additional 20 slaves they had, they could also get a similar family member exemption. This law made the soldiers realize that the poor were just pawns being used by the rich to fight for their own selfish interests.
After leaving the Army, Newton returned to Jones County where he was saddened by the state of affairs. The women and children who could not keep up with the farm labor on their own lived in virtual poverty, and yet the army still seized what little they had in the name of the war effort. This motivated Newton to form a group of freedom fighters known as The Knight Company in October 1863. The group consisted of other army deserters, as well as 125 runaway slaves who owned or were forced to join the army. The group also confiscated food and supplies for the army and distributed to the common people. They took many steps to undermine the Confederate army,
The Knight Company’s efforts continued in Jones County and covered southeastern Mississippi. The group was supported by the rural population, who not only provided them with food but also information. By 1864, Newton and his company had fully governed the Confederate authorities from Jones County and had flown the U.S. flag over the courthouse. Newton also reportedly declared Jones County and surrounding areas a free state, known as the “Free State of Jones”. However, some reports believe that he did not go as far as to make that statement.
The Knight Company’s warlike activities attracted the attention of the highest echelon of Confederate authorities, who dispatched two regiments to deal with the group. The regiment managed to kill some members of the group, but Newton managed to escape and regroup. Newton and his company were involved in another clash with Confederate forces (at Sallsbattery in January 1865) before the Civil War ended after the surrender of the Confederacy in April 1865.
post war period
At the end of the Civil War, Newton returned to rural life, but continued to play a role in public affairs. He was appointed by the new pro-union government to share food amongst the poor. He also took part in raids on free slaves whose masters had refused to free them despite the abolition of slavery. Newton eventually left politics after the Separatists won state government elections in the late 1870s. The new administration would sadly continue to introduce new segregation laws that would discriminate against blacks. At this point, Newton retired to a private life on his farm.
Civil War Soldier’s Wife, Children, a nd Family Life
Newton Knight first married in1958. His wife’s name was Serena Turner. They had nine children together. In the 1970s, Newton and his wife separated and he married Rachael, a woman who had previously been his grandfather’s slave. This was against Mississippi’s racial segregation laws, but Newton didn’t give a hoot. They had five children.
Due to the fact that they were mixed race,These children were discriminated against. Neither the whites nor the blacks accepted them. As a result, they married each other. For example, one of Newton’s sons married Serena, Mat, one of Racheal’s daughters fathered by another man. Also, one of Newton’s daughters with Serena, Molly, married one of Rachael’s sons who was fathered by another man. This intermarriage led to the formation of a sizable cross-cultural community that is still based today in the town of Soso, Jones County.
Newton Knight died in MississippiFebruary 1922. He was buried near his wife, Rachael, although it was illegal. Even in the event of death, Newton Knight did not tolerate discrimination based on skin color.