By 1864, Knight’s forces control Jones County. They raise a U.S. flag (the Stars and Stripes) over the county courthouse and send a letter to Union General Sherman declaring Jones County independent of the Confederacy – calling it the “Free State of Jones.” (Historians debate if it was an official secession, but they effectively created a no-go zone for Confederate authority.)
Confederate authorities hunt deserters. Knight hides in the swamps and organizes other deserters, escaped slaves, and poor white women. They form a guerrilla army, raiding Confederate supply lines, freeing slaves, and driving out Confederate tax collectors.
