Fiction is harder to write than non-fiction, but it is easier to draw conclusions about the "made up" characters. When I read "The Free State of Jones" in my youth, my impression was that Newt Knight and his followers were men with strong convictions and a bunch of rebels rebelling against the Confederacy. That was before I studied the actual events and the known facts.

Even though some of these men had served in the Confederacy by force or choice, they were for the most part deserters, bushwhackers, and n'ere do wells.

It is true that men left the army to return home to take care of their families, but a large number just didn't want to be told what to do by anyone. Hiding in the woods and raising havoc among. the defenseless civilians was their way of rebeling against authority.

Some folks, civilians included, on the other hand did not support the Secession movement; but served anyway. Either by sending their sons to fight for the state as a patriotic duty formed through the belief that the "people have spoken" by the votes in the legislature; or by not providing support to the Southern army with their goods and services.

Both approaches could be considered as a basis for determining "Unionist" leanings. However, when confronted with federal troops, those who were opposed usually did not openly state their support publically for fear of reprisal from their neighbors who still supported their sons in the Confederacy no matter the difficulties it caused.

Therefore, it is unlikely that federal troops would have mentioned "unionist" supporters during contemporary accounts.

True colors arose after war when Federal Claims Commissions began to review civilian property losses caused by the federal raiders that confiscated animals, supplies, and crops.

In Marion County next door to Jones County, many of the so-called fine citizens described their unionists beliefs after the fact and I venture to say wrote some "fiction" about their sympathies to make sure their claims were approved. But they were all very clear about keeping their beliefs close to the vest during the conflict.

Whether these were their true beliefs or self-serving is left to the script writers to decide.

That's why non-fiction is hard. Facts are sometimes not as interesting as folklore, family stories, rumors, and all out lies.