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Free State of Jones, is it history?

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  • #1

    Free State of Jones, is it history?

    The movie claims to be a relatively accurate depiction of the events in Jones County Mississippi in a counter rebellion against the Confederate States.


    Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-free-state-jones-180958111/#4shxbxCSqtCZ0bsh.99



    With two rat terriers trotting at his heels, and a long wooden staff in his hand, J.R. Gavin leads me through the woods to one of the old swamp hide-outs. A tall white man with a deep Southern drawl, Gavin has a stern presence, gracious manners and intense brooding eyes. At first I mistook him for a preacher, but he’s a retired electronic engineer who writes self-published novels about the rapture and apocalypse. One of them is titled Sal Batree, after the place he wants to show me.

    I’m here in Jones County, Mississippi, to breathe in the historical vapors left by Newton Knight, a poor white farmer who led an extraordinary rebellion during the Civil War. With a company of like-minded white men in southeast Mississippi, he did what many Southerners now regard as unthinkable. He waged guerrilla war against the Confederacy and declared loyalty to the Union.

    In the spring of 1864, the Knight Company overthrew the Confederate authorities in Jones County and raised the United States flag over the county courthouse in Ellisville. The county was known as the Free State of Jones, and some say it actually seceded from the Confederacy. This little-known, counterintuitive episode in American history has now been brought to the screen in Free State of Jones, directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games) and starring a grimy, scruffed-up Matthew McConaughey as Newton Knight.

    © Copyright Original Source






    Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...xCSqtCZ0bsh.99
    Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
    Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
    But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

    go with the flow the river knows . . .

    Frank

    I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Without seeing the movie it would be difficult for anyone to comment on its accuracy. With that said it is Hollywood which has a long history of taking considerable liberty with history even in the more serious documentaries and this sounds like its meant to be entertainment. And the Wikipedia entry on the movie says it is "inspired by the life of Newton Knight and his armed rebellion against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi during the American Civil War" which is a good indication it will take a good deal of artistic liberty.

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    • #3
      I will see the movie (it's not out until June 24), but I have read about the several books about the real Newt Knight. Looks legit.
      I also read about Winston County, Alabama, which similarly did not cooperate with the Confederate state it was in. Real history, both. I'm avoiding reading the OP in case of spoilers, of course.
      Near the Peoples' Republic of Davis, south of the State of Jefferson (Suspended between Left and Right)

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      • #4
        Interesting. Texas has a "Free State of Van Zandt County" near Dallas, having seceded both from Texas and the United States during the War of Northern Aggression. As they love to recount, "no document has ever been found rescinding that secession".
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by shunyadragon View Post
          The movie claims to be a relatively accurate depiction of the events in Jones County Mississippi in a counter rebellion against the Confederate States.
          I don't know how accurate it will be, I did read about the history on Wiki - but I will see it this coming weekend.
          Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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          • #6
            Originally posted by shunyadragon View Post
            The movie claims to be a relatively accurate depiction of the events in Jones County Mississippi in a counter rebellion against the Confederate States.
            Since when has a Hollywood movie "based on a true story" ever been an accurate depiction of history? They have a habit of rewriting history through the lens of ignorant liberalism, so while the films themselves might be entertaining (Lincoln, for example, is great cinema), you have to remember that you're watching a work of fiction and not a dispassionate accounting of the facts.
            Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
            But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
            Than a fool in the eyes of God

            From "Fools Gold" by Petra

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            • #7
              Originally posted by seer View Post
              ...I did read about the history on Wiki...
              Depending on the subject matter, Wikipedia is often no more accurate than Hollywood.
              Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
              But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
              Than a fool in the eyes of God

              From "Fools Gold" by Petra

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
                Since when has a Hollywood movie "based on a true story" ever been an accurate depiction of history? They have a habit of rewriting history through the lens of ignorant liberalism, so while the films themselves might be entertaining (Lincoln, for example, is great cinema), you have to remember that you're watching a work of fiction and not a dispassionate accounting of the facts.
                The question is just open to discussion as to how accurate the movie is. There are examples of very accurate historical movies, such as 'Gandhi' all the way to highly fictional speculative historical movies like the God Father series.

                After the members have time to see the movie, and the different historical references are reviewed we can discuss the historical aspects of the movie, and the references. The best historical evidence is represented by communications concerning the Jones County rebellion by the Confederate Army officers and officials of the confederate government.
                Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
                Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
                But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

                go with the flow the river knows . . .

                Frank

                I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                  Interesting. Texas has a "Free State of Van Zandt County" near Dallas, having seceded both from Texas and the United States during the War of Northern Aggression. As they love to recount, "no document has ever been found rescinding that secession".
                  Save your Free State of Van Zandt County confederate money, it may be still be accepted in Zandt County there.
                  Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
                  Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
                  But will they come when you do call for them? Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Act III:

                  go with the flow the river knows . . .

                  Frank

                  I do not know, therefore everything is in pencil.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    My daughter is a History major and she and I are going to see it this Friday evening
                    That's what
                    - She

                    Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
                    - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

                    I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
                    - Stephen R. Donaldson

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
                      My daughter is a History major and she and I are going to see it this Friday evening
                      I'm going this weekend too - heck don't worry about accuracy - just enjoy a good movie!
                      Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Adam View Post
                        I will see the movie (it's not out until June 24), but I have read about the several books about the real Newt Knight. Looks legit.
                        I also read about Winston County, Alabama, which similarly did not cooperate with the Confederate state it was in. Real history, both. I'm avoiding reading the OP in case of spoilers, of course.
                        The movie I saw and quite enjoyed had many features that I was sure were "Hollywood" fictionalization. Turns out I was wrong. Some featured characters were fictionalized. but the essence was all real, according to
                        http://www.historyvshollywood.com/re...tate-of-jones/
                        Not just an Oscar-worthy performance by Matthew McConaughey, but a great movie and (too) true to life.
                        Last edited by Adam; 06-27-2016, 01:20 AM.
                        Near the Peoples' Republic of Davis, south of the State of Jefferson (Suspended between Left and Right)

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Adam View Post
                          The movie I saw and quite enjoyed had many features that I was sure were "Hollywood" fictionalization. Turns out I was wrong. Some featured characters were fictionalized. but the essence was all real, according to
                          http://www.historyvshollywood.com/re...tate-of-jones/
                          Not just an Oscar-worthy performance by Matthew McConaughey, but a great movie and (too) true to life.
                          It was a little long and a bit slow in places but I really liked it, it was very well done and well acted!
                          Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            My daughter and I spent nearly 2 1/2 hours speechless. It was phenomenal. What an incredibly well told story. I highly recommend going to see it if you have even a passing interest in US Civil War history
                            That's what
                            - She

                            Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
                            - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

                            I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
                            - Stephen R. Donaldson

                            Comment

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