by Victoria E. Bynum, author of The Free State of Jones (University of North Carolina Press, 2001) This second installment of my review of Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer’s State of Jones […]
Newspaper Reports on Col. Robert Lowry’s Raid on the Mississippi Piney Woods
As promised, I am posting two articles from Confederate newspapers that reported on Col. Robert Lowry’s raids on Smith and Jones County, Mississippi. Note (as in both the letters previously posted) the prominence of Unionist Ben Hawkins […]
Col. Robert Lowry’s Raid on the Knight Company
Fresh from giving a presentation on the Free State of Jones at the Mississippi State Archives in Jackson, Ed Payne offered the following documents for publication on Renegade South. Together, they provide the most detailed descriptions–written […]
Rediscovering the Haunts of Newt Knight
By Vikki Bynum I recently received a message from William “Jeff” Knight (a descendant of Newt Knight’s brother Albert) that reminded me of how little I know about the geography of the […]
What’s in a Marriage? Bynums on both sides of the Civil War Divide
By Vikki Bynum One of the genuine surprises of my research on The Free State of Jones was the discovery that my own Bynum ancestors were deeply involved on both sides of […]
An 1870 Letter of Support For Newt Knight’s Compensation Claim
The following letter of support was filed with Newt Knight’s 1870 petition for compensation. I particularly value this letter because it describes in the men’s own words the formation of the Knight […]
Where is Welch Landing located?
A few days ago, one of my new Myspace friends, Sheri Welch Hilbun, expressed an interest in knowing more about her Welch ancestors. Specifically, she asked me if I knew where Welch […]
Ed Payne to Speak About Sarah Collins at Laurel-Jones County Library
Independent historian Ed Payne, of Jackson, will present “Sarah Collins: Pioneer Woman in the Free State of Jones” before the Jones County Genealogical and Historical Society at the Laurel-Jones County Library on […]
Simeon Collins: An Important Family Link Between Mississippi and Texas
By Vikki Bynum As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, and after exchanging emails with Greg Rowe, (see blogroll, American Civil War Essays & Research), I decided to write a bit about Greg’s […]
Unionists at War in the N.C. Quaker Belt
Unionist communities existed throughout the Confederate South during the Civil War. “The Free State of Jones” is an exciting story with its own unique characteristics, but it was only one of many inner civil wars between Unionists and Confederates […]
Renegade South 