‘Free State of Jones,’ a Civil War movie worth watching?

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Civil War movies, Confederacy, David Downing, Ethel Knigh, Free State of Jones, John Stauffer, Mississippi, movies, Newt Knight, Richard Jones, Sally Jenkies, Smithsonian Magazine, Victoria Bynum, Wyatt Moulds

Those of us who share an interest in the Civil War probably look askance at movies that are made about events during that time.

Is it good history, we are likely to ask ourselves. And that’s just the beginning of at least a dozen other questions. And just what is “good history”?

All of those questions could be asked about a movie currently showing in theaters across the country, The Free State of Jones.

The movie tells the story of Newt Knight, a poor Southern farmer from Mississippi who, after serving in the Confederate Army, led a revolt against the Confederacy that eventually resulted in Jones County, Mississippi, being declared the Free State of Jones.

So here’s a little more about the movie, the events it depicts, and a scene from the movie itself.