Gary ross free state of jones is based on one of the most fascinating true stories of the civil war. Swimmy is a book about perseverance and being different. Calling themselves the knight company after their captain, newton knight, they set up headquarters in the swamps of the leaf river, where, legend has it, they declared the free state of jones. How accurate is the new movie about the free state of jones. Ive been reading civil war books and watching civil war movies for over 20 years and ive never head the name newton knight. Between late 1863 and mid1864, an armed band of confederate deserters battled confederate cavalry in the piney woods region of jones county, mississippi. Fifteen years earlier my interest in the legend had been piqued by a civil war history textbook which noted that confederate disaffection ran so deep in jones county, mississippi, that during the civil war the county had allegedly seceded from the state and.
Its a window into an obscure corner of mississippis history and an account that further challenges myths of a south unified behind a glorious cause. Stauffer and sally jenkins published the state of jones, a book inspired by mr. Calling themselves the knight company after their captain, newton knight, they set up headquarters i. The popular movie free state of jones starring matthew mcconaughey as newton knight, a nonslave owner, who deserts from the confederate army and leads a biracial guerilla band hiding in the swamps has excited a great deal of interest because it challenges the long held myth of the lost cause. The free state of jones has the cinematic elements of sex and. Overall, the book offers an impartial look at the historical complexities that make up the southeastern piney woods section of mississippi, how they have affected its people to this day, and how a large cast of characters are influenced by the vagaries of culture. The old county seat, and ground zero for the free state of jones, is ellisville, now a pleasant, leafy town of 4,500 people. This book also raises the issues of race and class before and since the reconstruction era in the south. The story of the free state of jones in the state of mississippi which lead an insurrection against the confederacy during the us civil war. The state of jones is a true story about the south during the civil warthe real south, an authentic, hardscrabble place where poor men were forced to fight a rich mans war for slavery and cotton. Mississippis longest civil war history vs hollywood, movie, book, audio book.
Indiana jones books in chronological order series by. Local legends tell of knight and his men forming the free state of jones in the area in and around jones county, mississippi, at the. Free state of jones hit theaters on june 24, and matthew mcconaughey takes on a civil war hero. A confederate dissident, in a film with footnotes the. T he american civil war has been combed over in popular culture countless times, but the true story that inspired the new film free state of jones, out friday, may still surprise some viewers. A true story of defiance during the american civil war by victoria e.
A fourth film followed in 2008, titled indiana jones and the. As my students listen to me read this book they infer all sorts of character traits about swimmy as he handles situations in the story. This list attempts to put them all in chronological order the mummys curse the young indiana jones ch. Sally jenkins and john stauffers book, the state of jones, made a splash a while back, and an earlier book by victoria bynum, the free state of jones, is at least partly the basis for a movie set to come out next year. In the end, the film free state of jones was not based on the book the free state of jones, but the book was used as a major resource, with bynum credited as a consultant. The state of jones and millions of other books are available for instant. The true story of the free state of jones smithsonian. The overall story follows the history of jones county, and some of the events portrayed are true.
Indiana jones is an american media franchise based on the adventures of dr. Free state of jones the movie was partly inspired by the free state. Bynum, distinguished professor emeritus of history at texas state university in san marcos, whose 2001 book published by the university of. Anthony swoffords jarhead is the first gulf war memoir by a frontline infantry marine, and it is a searing, unforgettable narrative. The historical imagination and free state of jones the. Newton knight november 10, 1829 february 16, 1922 was an american farmer, soldier and southern unionist in mississippi, best known as the leader of the knight company, a band of confederate army deserters who resisted the confederacy during the civil war. I came to jones county having read some good books about its history, and knowing very little about its presentday reality. Mississippi, where a renegade farmer named newton knight led a. It assumed legendary status among some county residents and civil war historians, culminating in the release of a 2016 feature film, free state of jones. The true story of the free state of jones history smithsonian. The free state of jones true story reveals that newton knight enlisted in the army in the early fall of 1861. The virginianpilot jenkins and stauffer tell the fascinating tale of an unforgettable figure. Jenkins and stauffer bring historical contexts to life and offer provocative interpretations.
Adding further controversy to the legend is the story of newt knights interracial romance with his wartime accomplice, rachel, a slave. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, knight launched an uprising that led jones county, mississippi to secede from the confederacy, creating a free state of jones. Ross has an oldfashioned faith in the power of editing, and in the ability of the audience to imagine what he refrains from showing explicitly. The state of jones wsj although authors sally jenkins and john stauffer labor mightily in the state of jones to make the case for newt knight and jones county as emblems of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. There are many other books, comments and even another movie with a movie set showing mountains in the background which is totally inconsistent with mississippi. It offers a refreshing look at the issues surrounding the civil war, and some delightful surprises for even the most knowledgeable history buff. The men face off against the union army, leading to a very bloody fight. Free state of jones the movie was partly inspired by the. It is interesting to read the free state of jones web page discussion about this movie as it. The small southern county that seceded from the confederacy 1 by sally jenkins isbn.
October 1862, jones county, mississippi confederate soldiers are marching into a fight as they prepare for the start of the battle of corinth in the northern part of the state. Downtown has some old brick buildings with wroughtiron balconies. When i began researching the legend of the free state of jones ten years ago, i had little sense of the journey i was about to undertake. The free state of jones literary works of victoria bynum. State of fear is, like many of crichtons books, a fictional work that uses a mix of speculation and real world data, plus technological innovations as fundamental storyline devices. The story of the jones county rebellion is well known among mississippians, and debate over whether the county actually seceded from the state during the war has smoldered for more than a century. Rick atkinson, author of an army at dawn in the state of jones, jenkins and stauffer locate the real civil warand the story of our greatest national trialin all of its specificity and moral. The state of jones is an entertaining, informative book about a courageous group of southerners clearly ahead of their time. Bynum believes that knight did not necessarily enlist out of fear of conscription but rather because he just wanted to be a soldier. Still, the free state of jones is an antiwar film with a commie message that still glamorizes southern pride, hard work and the good book. The state of jones is as compelling as it is unlikely, a tale of insurrection that illuminates the larger insurrection of our civil war. The film is credited as being based on the books the free state of jones by victoria e. Knight continued his struggle into reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the war. Matthew mcconaughey and writerdirector gary ross are the catalysts for a project called free state of jones, which is getting some.
The free state of jones the free state of jones is one of the most gripping history books published in recent years. The state of jones is a true story about the south during the civil warthe real south. Not the south that has been mythologized in novels and movies, but an authentic, hardscrabble place where poor men were forced to fight a rich mans war for slavery and cotton. When the marines or jarheads, as they call themselves a stranger rode out of the heart of the great glowing west, into the small wyoming valley in the. These inferences lead us to the main idea of the story and provide us. In the free state of jones, victoria bynum describes the inner civil war of jones county. In 1984, a prequel, indiana jones and the temple of doom, was released, and in 1989, a sequel, indiana jones and the last crusade. The debate over global warming serves as the backdrop for the book.
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