For thirty years, guerrilla leader Newt Knight of Jasper County, Mississippi, sought compensation as a Unionist from the U.S. government on behalf of himself and 54 men who had belonged to his […]
Near and Distant Pasts Revisited: My 2001 interview by David Woodbury
Researching Civil War Home Fronts and Beyond by Vikki Bynum Back in fall, 2001, just months after the release of my book, Free State of Jones, David Woodbury (moderator of Battlefields and […]
James Morgan Valentine, Newt Knight’s 1st. Lt. in the Free State of Jones
In 1864, with the nation at war, soldiers and civilians alike must daily have asked themselves, would life ever return to normal? At the same time, daily routines had to be continued if folks […]
Post on Harmon Levi Sumrall at Southern Unionists Chronicles
For those of you interested in learning more about the role played by Harmon Levi Sumrall in the Free State of Jones, please visit Robert Moore’s Southern Unionists Chronicles . There, I have posted and […]
Harmon Levi and William Wesley Sumrall, Unionist Brothers in The Free State of Jones
By Vikki Bynum William Wesley Sumrall is the only man with the Sumrall surname listed on Newt Knight’s roster. He and his brother, Harmon Levi Sumrall, were nonetheless among Jones County’s strongest […]
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 […]
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