Free State of Jones (2016) - full transcript

Left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Stay with me.

Left, right, left.

Close that rank. Steady, boys.

Steady.

Left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left of the colours, boys.



Guide right.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Top of the hill, boys.
Just over that Ridge.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Kneel.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right...

Left, left, left, right, left.

Ready.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Fire.

Left, left, left, right, left.

Left, left, left, right, left.



Almost there, boy, almost there.

It's my leg. I know it's your leg.

It hurts.

Yep, they got ether.

Here we go. Here we go.

Move that private. We
got an officer here.

Hold pressure, hold pressure.

Here we go.

Right there.

Let's get this off you.

If they think you're an officer,
they'll fix you sooner.

Yeah, they'll fix you. Here we go.

One, two, three.

We need clean water.

Hold pressure here.

The lord is the
stronghold of my life.

Captain Jeffrey Baylor here,
10th Tennessee, minie ball,

left thigh.

Captain. I've got a captain here.

Captain up front,
captain up front.

Hold him down. Hold him.

Where are they going?

Charleston.

Charleston.

That's Carolina 3rd.

A bunch of them are headed home.

Twenty Negro law.

If you own 20 Negroes,
you get to go home.

Since when?

The 1st, I guess. New
conscription act.

"Poor man's fight and
a rich man's war."

Yeah.

You know they got a
house in Natchez

with gold doorknobs.

Not gold-looking...
Gold, real gold.

"But all their gold
and all their silver

"shall not protect them from
the wrath of the lord."

You so smart, Jasper,

how come you're still here, huh?

"The oldest son on
such plantations

"where 20 or more Negroes
are owned or leased

"are hereby exempt in the armies

"of the confederate states.

"Furthermore, any plantation

"where the total number of
Negroes owned or leased

"shall equal 40, the
eldest and second eldest

"shall be exempt from
military service."

That's you and a brother.

And then it goes up
one family member

for every 20 Negroes after that.

So if we all chip in,
buy us one Negro,

we get a couple weeks off?

Ah, I swear, I'm
tired of it, Jasper,

tired of helping them fight
for their damn cotton.

You don't fight anyway.
You're a nurse.

Yeah, you get gut-shot out
there tomorrow, Will,

why don't you go find
an artillery officer,

see if he can help you?

I ain't fighting for cotton.
I'm fighting for honour.

Oh, that's good, Will.

I'd sure hate to be
fighting for cotton.

Who's there?

Uncle Newt.

Daniel? That's you,
boy? Come here.

Hey, hey, hey, what happened?

They took me and they took
the mule and our hogs,

half the corn crib,

and they told me I'd been drafted.

Can I stay with you?

Of course you can,
boy, you're my kin.

They put me with another company

and I finally ran off and
I looked for you all day.

And then I found this man

and I told him I was from Jones

and he said that was
Mississippi 7th and so...

I've got you, boy. I've
got you, I've got you.

I've got you, boy. I've
got you, I've got you.

You're with me.
You're with me now.

Are you going to be
there with me tomorrow?

Yeah, I'm going to be
there with you tomorrow.

You hear me?

I'm going to be there
with you tomorrow.

Okay.

We're going to get
out of this trench

and we're going to
make for a treeline

about a quarter mile out.

You don't listen to no sergeant,

you don't listen to no officers,

only me. You understand now?

When I tell you to go, move fast

and you stay close to me.

You've got a full load?

Half-cock, safe, full cock, fire.

Ain't no different than shooting

a bird or a deer, Daniel.

No different than that. All right?

All right.

They're shelling us. Move, move.

Come on. Move. Right this way.

Stay low, low. Stay low.

See that rifle pit?

About 50 yards out.

That's where we're headed.

That's where we're going.

You ready? Ready?

Come on. Go. Go. Go.

Stay behind me.

Go down.

You all right? Huh?

You all right?

All right, now listen.

They've got sharpshooters
out there.

We're going to make a way for
that treeline, all right?

Find some shelter and hide out.

You ready?

All right, let's go. Stay low.

Ah. Whoa. Whoa.

Down, boy. Down.

Who you with?

Mississippi 5th, "F" company.
We're all that's left.

All right, you're with us now.

We're making for that
Ridge over to the right.

Huh.

So fix bayonets.

Fix your bayonet, boy.
Yeah, I got it, I got it.

Here.

Fixed.

All right, you ready?

Ready?

All right, on my command,
ready, go. Go. Go.

Go. Go. Go. Go.

Go, boy, move. Hold,
hold, hold, Daniel.

Hold, Daniel. Go. Move.

Shit.

- Uncle Newt?
- No.

Uncle Newt? I got you, boy.

You're gonna be all
right. It's all right.

It hurts. I know it hurts.

Just hold onto me tight.

Hold onto me. Am I going to die?

Oh, you're not going to
die. I'm going to fix you.

Could I get your help right here?

I've got a boy here.
I've got a boy here.

Well, I've got a boy here.

I've got officers I
can't even get to.

It hurts...

I got you, boy. I got you.

I got you, all right.

We'll get you a doctor.

Going to get you a doctor.

Hang on. Hang on.

Can I have some water?

In a second. In a second.

I'm just so thirsty.

Why am I so thirsty?

Hang on, boy. Hang on, boy.

Hang on. Hang on. Hang on.

There we go, there
we go. There we go.

You love god, don't you, Daniel?

Yes.

There we go.

I'm scared.

I know you are.

But you love god
and god loves you.

You understand?

Jesus loves you, son.

You're not dying.

You're not dying.

You're not... You're not dying.

You know they shoot
deserters, don't you?

Hell, they shoot everybody
around here anyway.

It don't seem to
make no difference

where the bullet comes from.

And you're stealing a mule.

You know, we can bury him
proper right here, Newt.

We don't have to leave him.

He's going home, Jasper.
It's where he belongs.

Here.

Take my hardtack too.
It's a long trip.

Appreciate it.

He died with honour, Newt.

No, Will, he just died.

I tried to save him, Annie.

I did everything I could.
He was... he... he...

It ain't your fault.

You didn't start
this war, did you?

Or drag him out of here.

He's my boy.

Daniel.

Oh, my boy.

Dan...

Dan...

They hung three deserters
down in Perry.

Didn't put 'em back in the army.

Just hung 'em.

Yeah, I got a leave.

No, you didn't.

His mama deserves to
see her son again.

She don't deserve to
see him like that.

No.

No, she don't.

"If I go up to the
heavens, you are there.

"If I make my bed in the
depths, you are there.

"Even in the darkness,
will not be dark to you.

"The night will shine like day,

"the darkness is as light to you.

"It is you who hath
possessed my reign.

"It is you who hath covered
me in my mother's womb."

No, not that cloth.
I made that cloth.

Ma'am. Ma'am.

No. No. I made that
cloth. That's my loom.

No. No. I worked so hard on that.

Ma'am, ma'am, stop it. Stop it.

That's for my baby. That's
not for your babies.

We're just taking
what's rightfully ours.

Please make them stop.

- You got the court order?
- Yes, but...

What did the court order say?

That we will take 10%.

You're taking everything away.
Why are you taking everything?

They took everything
out the smokehouse.

And that ain't tax,
they just ate it.

All that meal we ground.

Honey, we'll get you some more
corn meal. Of course we will.

Well, that ain't the
point. I grew that corn.

Everybody know how to
blow one of these?

Yes, sir.

All right, look here.
If they come back,

I want you to blow that
as loud as you can

as soon as you hear
them riding up.

Yes, sir. I'm just
over this Ridge here.

I'll be here soon.

You got any more of those?

Yeah, we need some more.

Getting hotter.

Let me feel him.

Come on, Will. Be a good boy.

He is a good boy. He's
just got a fever is all.

He's burning up.

Where are you going?

To get a doctor.

You can't go in town.
They'll arrest you.

I'm gonna go to Sally's
place, have her fetch one.

You're going to that roadhouse?

We ain't got a doctor no more.

Doc Hacket moved to Alabama

and Prentiss is off at the war.

Well, he's burning up, Sally,
and I can't go into town.

Well, there's this creole
slave over at Eakins.

Kind of healer.

I'll get George to
fetch her with a pass.

Eakins? Plantation?

She's not a field hand,
she's a house Negro.

Now, you better get
outta here, too.

Rebs come in here all the
time to get whiskey.

They sent me with a pass.

Yeah, yeah. Right this way.

He's burning up. Can you help?

I'll try.

I need to boil some
water, to make a tea.

I'll fetch you a bucket.

I can fetch it.

No, you stay here.
I'll fetch it for you.

All right.

He's all cool now. Probably
gonna sleep a while.

- He better?
- He's fine.

Oh.

That's my boy. That's my boy.

There you are.

Hey.

Thank you.

Oh.

Don't have to thank me.
I got loaned to you.

No, I do. I do.

Look here, I ain't got no money,

but I want you to
have this, all right?

That's gold.

- I can't take that.
- Yes, you can.

Saving a life ain't easy, yeah?

And when you do, it's
something special.

Thank you.

Thank you, that's kind.

Now, here, here's your pass.

All rise. Court is now in session.

"Case number 0646.

"The state of Mississippi
versus Davis Knight.

"That Davis Knight did knowingly

"and wilfully and feloniously

"violate Mississippi law

"by engaging in a marital union
with one Junie Lee Spradley,

"a white woman.

"That as the great-grandson
of Newton Knight

"and a Negro slave known
commonly as Rachel,

"he is of at least
1/8th Negro blood,

"and as such, meets
the minimum standard

"to be considered
a coloured person

"in the state of Mississippi."

What happened?

They told me to gather up all
the clothes and blankets.

They'd be back for
them in an hour.

They told me to round
up all the hogs I got

and put 'em in a pen.

Who did?

The cavalry officer and the...

Tax agent?

Yeah.

They gonna take my hogs?

No. No, they ain't.

Because we got nothing
for the winter.

They ain't gonna take your hogs.

Girls, you know how to
shoot one of these?

It ain't real hard, all right?
It's just loud the first time.

Come here to me, darling.

Here we go.

Put this right here
on your right hand,

hold it right there
with your right hand.

There you go, you feel that?

Feel that?

Okay, how many guns you
got in the house, ma'am?

Two. Three with a pistol.

Good, good.

See, now here's the trigger.

You wanna fire it, you
just pull this back.

Two clicks, pull
that trigger. Boom.

All right, here they come.

You ready?

Easy.

Well...

Well, what do we have here?

Stop.

Beg your pardon?

I said, stop walking.

That's quite an
army you got there.

Three little girls with guns.

It's more like eight.

How come you ain't
up north fighting?

How come you ain't?

Because I'm responsible
for clothing

and feeding our loyal troops.

And tracking down deserters.

No, don't do that.

They gonna shoot me?

All's they gotta do
is go like that.

Last time I checked,

the gun don't care who's
pulling the trigger.

We'll be back.

Hold steady on him, girls.

Lower your guns.

There we go. There we go.
Good job, girls. Good job.

All right.

Listen, you all are gonna
be fine, all right?

It's me they're gonna be after.

They've got a slave patrol, Newt.

Those are nigger dogs.

It was three little
girls, you hear? Alone.

Who ain't alone? You
think I ain't alone?

Why you always got to fight

everyone else's fight for them?

I can't do this
anymore, Newt. I can't.

Buck shot, fresh powder horn.

Go. Go get him.

Can't stay here.

First place they're gonna come.

I'll get George to take
you out in the swamp.

There's some folks out
there that can help.

Yeah?

I dropped my gun and powder.

Sounds like you had a good time.

George?

Ma'am?

He's gonna need some food.

Got it right here.

You know what to do?

Mister Newt, sir?

Whenever you're ready.

To the swamp?

Yes, sir.

Take your time.

Mr. Newt.

Sorry. Look here.

Here, sit here.

You'll like this better.

They'll be here for you soon.

"They"?

They will be here for you soon.

Hello.

I know you.

I'm here to show you through.

Come on.

- You all right to walk?
- Yeah, just slow.

All right, now walk where I walk.

Out there is deep,
through here is shallow.

Careful now.

- You got it.
- It's all right.

They gonna fix you.

They runaways?

Ain't you?

Chewed up pretty bad.

A hound got him.

Got some fresh tea.

Mr. Newt?

Let me see that there.

Aw, it ain't that bad.

You must be pretty brave then.

You all must taste like we do,
the way he latched onto you.

Just hold still now,
you'll be all right.

Thank you, baby.

Mr. Whittington, in your opinion,

Serena Knight was no
longer a resident

of Jones county,
Mississippi, by what date?

Well, roughly, the end
of 1863, early 1864,

when she moved to Georgia.

Then, if Newton Knight had
a child after the war,

a child to whom he gave his name,

that child could not have been...

Objection, your honour.

The witness is a census expert,

not an expert on genealogy
or paternity or...

Well, your honour,
you don't have to be

an expert on much
of nothing to know

it's hard for two
people to make a baby

when they're 1,000 miles apart.

How you feeling?

Better.

Still a little sore, but better.

Yeah, well, you'll be
sore for a little while.

What's your name?

Call me Moses.

Your mama name you that?

No, sir. I picked that for myself.

Hey, you chose a good one.

Why do you all do that?

Light it in the tree like that.

Hide the smoke so it don't
go up in a straight line.

Oh, yeah, they're always looking.

We expensive.

How come they hounding you?

Because I left.

Deserted.

How come?

It ain't my fight, you know?

Don't own no slaves.

Ain't gonna die so they can
get rich selling cotton.

That's why we left, too.

"Man, can, pan, fan, ran."

Very good, girls.

"Mat, hat, sat, cat, rat."

Now read this line again.

"Mat, hat, sat, cat, rat."

What are you doing?

Oh... I was just...

Don't go.

Thank you.

Ain't they got a chicken Coop?

You all ought to be grateful. I
can take back that molasses.

He didn't mean it.

Molasses? I thought
this was whiskey.

Don't you get dizzy?

Lying like that?

Don't it make you dizzy?

Oh. No.

It don't bother me now.

I guess you can get
used to anything.

No, you can't.

Where's Texas?

Texas. How far is that?

Texas?

Well, it's pretty far.

Why? What's in Texas?

My wife and my little boy.

When they... When they sold 'em,

I just... I just ran.

I didn't think or nothing.
I just... just took off.

And they caught me and whipped me,

I just ran all over again.

Then they put this on me.

Don't make no difference though.

They can hitch me to a wagon

and I'll pull that damn
thing all the way to Texas.

All right, look here, I was a
blacksmith. I was. I shoed horses.

Forged all kinda stuff,
yokes, bits, axe blades.

I pounded a lot of
metal in my life.

If you want, I can get
that thing off you.

No, you can't do that.

All that banging will bring
the hounds for sure.

How many hounds?

And the men that go
along with them.

How many men?

You ready?

I'm ready.

You ready?

I'm ready.

Oh, yeah.

All right, everybody in half cock?

Eli?

Malachi?

Now you ain't gonna have
a chance to reload,

so make your shot count.

All right, here they
come. Go to full cock.

Wait for my word.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.

Now.

You know what this tastes like?

What?

Dog.

What's with them?

Just, nobody done nothing
like that for them before.

What's that say?

Right there, what's that say?

It says "Remington
company, Ilion, New York."

Remington.

"R"

"e-m"

"I"

Left hand here, okay. You feel it?

Put your left leg out,
get braced for it.

All right, sit right in there,

you're gonna look right
down this barrel.

You see that little
beebee on the end?

- Yeah.
- Ah.

Whatever's at the
end of this beebee,

that's what you're aiming at.
That's what you're gonna hit.

- All right?
- All right.

You're locked and loaded.

Whenever you're ready, get him.

Did you get him?

Get him again.

Jasper, it's all right.
Come on out now.

You ain't the only one.

Will?

Whoa.

Ah-ah-ah.

Raise your hand.

That stuff don't belong to you.

Unhitch that wagon and
head off down the road.

Who are you?

"The free men of Jones county"?

That's what he said.

Well, I'm not gonna concern myself

with five or six deserters
hiding out in the swamp

who don't have the courage
to show their face.

Sir... You've got a quota to meet.

You're dismissed.

What do you say, Sumrall?

Well, there will be no
more dry firing for you.

- That will do the job.
- Well, thanks.

That's good, son.

Are you Newton Knight?

Every day.

Where are you from, boy?

Ellisville.

And where were you?

Battle of Corinth.

Me, too.

My brother said you
made him a private.

Did I?

Can I be a private, too?

I don't know.

Is he older or younger than you?

He's younger. He's only 13.

I'll tell you what, you
can be a corporal.

That's better than a private.

Really?

At ease, corporal.

Brought you something.

You got one.

Yeah.

"Fihgt"?

- Fight.
- "Fight."

- Fight.
- "Fight."

- Fight. Sounds like a f-y-t-e.
- Fight.

Fight. Fight. Fight.

But you got a "g" right there.

But it's a silent "g" again.

The "g-h" is always
like silent, like here,

- "light, right."
- "Light, right."

"All right, slight."

"All right, slight."

But it's a "g-h"

and it's silent when you use it.

What a man grows with
his own two hands

oughta belong to him, yeah?

Yes, sir.

How's that scripture go, Jasper?

This here's from the
book of Galatians.

"Be not deceived.

"God is not mocked, for
whatsoever a man soweth,

"that shall he also reap."

What you sow, you should reap.

What you put in the ground,

you should take outta the ground.

Crowd'. Yeah. And they
say they taking 10%.

No, they leave us 10%, sir.

Leave 10%.

You think they taking 10%

from that plantation
owner over in Natchez?

- Huh?
- No, sir.

You think they're
taking 10% from him?

No way.

How about this?

What you say we go out there
and we pick it clean?

There's 100 of us here.

We could pick it clean
all in one day.

- Can we do that?
- Yeah.

Now, we pick it clean.
We hide it away,

we divide it amongst
ourselves later on.

Meanwhile, by the time
they get down here,

we done scattered.

Yeah.

- How's that sound to you?
- Yeah.

Whose corn is it? I
mean, whose corn is it?

- It's our corn.
- Whose corn is it?

Sounds like perfect charity to me.

- Let's do it.
- Yeah.

Find a red cob, get a
shot o' corn whiskey.

Where is your corn?

Huh?

Your corn. Where's your corn?

Field's picked clean.

Oh, yeah. We picked it.

So where is it?

Good morning.

Step on down, lieutenant.

Hold on, all right? Just hold on.

Hey, I know you.

Yeah, you the one who stole
our corn and our mule.

Gentlemen...

There it is. You like that sound?

It's just some corn.

Yeah.

You'd kill a man for some corn?

Well, he's asking if I'd
kill a man for some corn.

I don't know.

See, lieutenant, you
steal our corn,

we got nothing to feed the hogs.

If we can't feed the hogs, we got
nothing to put in the smokehouse.

We got nothing to put
in the smokehouse,

we starve in the winter.

That's murder, ain't it?

You know what the penalty for
murder is, don't you, lieutenant?

Yeah.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, you do.

- Thomas.
- Yes, sir.

Come here.

What rank I make you?

Corporal, sir.

You're a lieutenant now.

Let's get that coat off.

- Help him out, Thomas.
- Yeah.

200 men.

Maybe 100. It's hard to say.

They made us lie facedown
in the dirt till they left.

What is that?

Give it here.

Newt, you sure this
is a good idea?

That's a lot of smoke.

Yeah.

Cavalry can't get
into those swamps,

and if we go in on foot,
we'll get ambushed.

So you're scared of 'em?

Only in there.

Oh.

Oh.

Why, hell, I'll stomp
it out with you.

Get a box up here.

Come on, throw a box up on here.

Put those stakes right
down here, boys.

Right here, right
here. There we go.

Get you a handkerchief.

I got plenty for everybody, now.

That fat, now that's where
all the flavour is,

right there in that fat.

Who wants that?

Look right here.

It's falling right off the bone.

You don't even need those knives.

What you doing, nigger?

That ain't for you. Put it back.

Put it back, nigger.

How you ain't?

What?

I said, how you ain't?

How I ain't what?

What he says, Ward,

is how you ain't a nigger?

I mean, they just
pick cotton for 'em.

You...

You was willing to
get killed for 'em.

For lord's sake, play
something, will ya, Lucas,

before a whole new
war breaks out here?

Colonel?

You Sally?

I am.

You're a businesswoman.

When was the last time you
saw any real whiskey?

Irish whiskey?

This is from Boston.

We can run anything
through that blockade,

but the whiskey always
seems to get here first.

I suppose the only neutral
parties in any war

are the people making
money from it.

Just want to give you the
opportunity to make a little more.

We need to get a message to him.

"Him"?

Stop, I don't have the
patience for that.

Tell your unionist friend

that if he will disband
this little, little...

Army.

Company o' theirs,

we will rescind the hanging notice

and grant him full pardon.

All he has to do is
come out of that swamp.

He can go right back in the army.

Two barrels of molasses,
100 pounds of wheat flour,

three barrels of
whiskey, and $500.

Is that Yankee currency?

Fine.

I'll see what I can do.

Take that back to her.

Yeah, why would you trust someone

who just burned your farm, son?

I'm not saying I trust 'em.

I'm just saying...

That you want it to stop?

Yeah, so do I.

Thomas, I don't think
that turning ourselves in

is gonna stop 'em.

I know you lost your farm,

and I know your mama's
hurting, all right?

But that does not make
these men your friends.

We're your friends, right here.

Look out there.

That's your friends.

Evening, Jesse.

Hey.

I brought you some biscuits.

Smell fresh.

They is.

Thank you.

I better go.

What's wrong?

What's wrong?

What happened?

What happened?

I wouldn't let him.

All the other times
I just let him.

Because what can I do?

It's just easier.

I tell myself I'm somewhere else

an' it's not like
it's happening to me.

But this time I couldn't.

I couldn't anymore.

And I screamed and I screamed.

Look, look, look.

I can read this now.

"In the beginning,

"god created the heaven

"and the earth.

"And god said, 'let
there be light."'

All right. Look here.

There's a full troop transport

headed this way outta Meridian.

It's got 50 soldiers.

It's 15 cars long.

We gonna blow the tracks
with powder, you hear?

It's a train?

Yeah, it's a train.

With guns, ammo, and artillery.

What's that got to
do with my farm?

It has everything to do
with your farm, Ward.

How?

Because they are the
folks that burned it.

So we fighting for the union now?

No, we're not fighting
for the union,

but we are fighting the
same people they are.

Yeah, for different reasons.

But these folks got plantations

from here to the Mississippi.

I know, they're rich. So what?

Are we gonna start
killing rich people?

It's why they're rich,
Ward. Don't ya understand?

You, me, all of us...

We're all out there dying
so they can stay rich.

You own any slaves, Ward?

You got any Negroes to fight for?

No, but it sure looks like you do.

That's fine, Ward.

You leave any time you want.

Save your farms.

All you got to do is
lay down your arms.

You ain't being disloyal.

You're just being smart.

Your mama don't need you dead.

She's done lost her farm.

She don't need to
lose her boys, too.

You're sure he said all of 'em?

He just said they wanted
to come out, sir.

Didn't say how many.

They're coming out.

They're coming out.

Is that him?

Can't tell.

How many are there?

Hard to say.

Four or five maybe.

Sweet Jesus. It's boys.

Forty soldiers capture
a bunch o' boys

with broken shotguns.

Just hang 'em.

These boys...

These young men...

They was your friends,

your cousins,

your brothers and your kin.

But to those soldiers
who didn't know 'em,

they was just niggers.

They was just somebody
else's nigger.

So somehow, some way or sometime,

everybody

is just somebody else's nigger.

Mr. Moses, are you a nigger?

No, I'm not.

What are you?

A free man, captain.

Well, why's that?

Because you cannot
own a child of god.

No, you cannot, can you?

You can own a horse,

you can own a mule or cow
or an ox, but you...

You cannot own a child of god.

See anything?

No.

He won't miss this though.

He's out there. Somewhere.

Tell 'em to move up.

Make them boys lead 'em
to the left flank.

Damn it.

Newton, I...

I knew your daddy.

Let's go.

Get up here up front. Reload.
We need more powder.

Reload.

Keep punching, boys.

Fire.

Up here, up here.

Cover the Cannon.

Fire. Powder.

Powder.

Move, move.

Cover fire.

Clear.

Go, go, go.

Ho, ho.

Hands up.

Up.

There we go.

Quickly, children.

Mr. Deason hurry, Samantha.

Yeah.

How many?

In this group there's 40.

Got another 20 at Kerman's farm.

Only 12 of us at that
railhead at Paulding.

Oh, that's light.

Could send Jeb and his brother.

Yeah, let's do that.

All right, hold on.

All right, all right.

Here you go.

How long would it take
you to get there?

Three, four days if
there's no patrols.

All right.

Tell Sherman that
we hold everything

from Pascagoula to
the Alabama border.

Tell him we need some artillery,

20 pieces, 15 cannons,

five mortars would be fine.

- Rifles.
- Rifles we need. Make it 300.

We also need some cavalrymen.
Fifty. Fifty men, that's all.

He can spare that easily.

Yeah, he can spare that easily.

He sends this,

we can keep this place forever.

Feathers.

It's okay. It's okay.

They control everything from
Meridian to the Pascagoula.

They've seized Ellisville,

hold all of Jones, Jasper, Perry,

and half of Smith counties.

They've got 250 men,

maybe even runaway slaves who,

frankly, sir, don't
have much to lose.

That's all they sent?

You told 'em we took
three counties?

Of course.

Hundred rifles.

They say it's not strategic.

Sherman wonders if
we're a real company.

"Real company"?

You know, it ain't exactly
what they're used to, Newt.

A bunch of freed
slaves, farmers...

Holding down most o'
southeast Mississippi.

Yeah.

Took three counties. We
beat an entire division.

We did.

They don't care.

That's fine. We're
back in the swamp.

They can't get their
horses in there

no matter how many they bring.

Take the boys back in.
We'll wait until...

Some o' the boys don't
wanna go, Newt.

With that much cavalry
coming down here,

they're just not gonna have
any farms left to protect.

There's plenty left
to fight for, Will.

Sure there is.

There sure is, but they can
get down to Mobile from here.

They can get outta here
before Lowry shows up.

And that's what they want?

They want your permission.

And what do you want, Will?

I want to stay here and fight.

But...

But they're boys,
Newt, lots of 'em.

Might as well be.

They need somebody
to get 'em through.

So you want my permission, too.

I guess I do. Yeah.

Take this. Pretty lucky.

No, that's your best gun.

I know.

I don't want you to stop fighting.

All right. Everybody,
listen up here.

Look, I know you
all been wondering

what it is we gonna do next.

I want you all to know that
you all fought bravely.

That flag right there
tells the tale.

Right now what we do know
is that they're sending

a whole regiment of
cavalry this way.

That's 100 horses.

We can't fight that,

at least not in the open anyhow.

And we was hoping to get some
help from general Sherman,

but it looks like that
ain't coming either.

He says he won't recognise us.

So it seems that we don't got
no country on either side.

And that's all right.

I guess we're kind
of our own country.

That's right.

And if we're honest about it,

hadn't we been our own
country for a long time?

Yes, sir. Yeah.

Now, Jasper here,

he's obviously a lot
more learned than I am.

He was saying that,

if in fact we are our own country,

well then, by god, we oughta
stand up and declare it.

Yeah. That's right.

Even if they push us
back in the swamps,

if we're willing to
die for something,

we sure as the devil
oughta be able to say

what it is out loud.

- Yes.
- Yeah.

That's true.

Jasper, let me see
that paper there.

From this day forward,

we declare the land north
of the Pascagoula swamps,

south of Enterprise and
east of the Pearl river

to the Alabama border

to be a "free state of Jones."

Yeah. Right.

And as such we do hereby proclaim

and affirm the
following principles.

Number one, no man
oughta stay poor

so another man can get rich.

- Right.
- Yeah.

Number two, no man
oughta tell another man

what he's gotta live for or
what he's gotta die for.

Yeah.

Number three,

what you put in the ground is
yours to tend and harvest,

and there ain't no man oughta be
able to take that away from you.

- Yeah, that's right.
- Yeah.

Number four...

every man's a man.

If you can walk on two
legs, you're a man.

- Right.
- Yeah.

It's as simple as that.

Lord.

But we won. I know.

And they said... general
Sherman, he said...

I know what they said.

He said 40 acres and a mule

for every freed man
and they families.

They took that back.

Who did? The president did.

There's a new president
now named Johnson.

Johnson.

So who gets all o' this?

He does.

Eakins.

Eakins? Eakins? He
gets to come back?

Yeah, if he takes an oath.

What kind of oath?

Swearing to be loyal to the union.

He ain't no union man.

No.

Hell, I can take an
oath swearing to be

a canary. That don't
mean I can fly.

That's it.

So I don't understand. Are
we free or we ain't free?

You understand.

We free and we ain't free.

Place your left hand on the
Bible and raise your right.

"I, James Eakins..."

I, James Eakins...

"do solemnly swear in the
presence of almighty god..."

do solemnly swear in the
presence of almighty god...

"That I will henceforth
faithfully support,

"protect, and defend

"the constitution of
the United States..."

that I will henceforth
faithfully support,

protect, and defend

the constitution of
the United States...

"and the union of the
states thereunder."

and the union of the
states thereunder.

"So help me god."

So help me god.

- Welcome back.
- Thank you.

I ain't leaving.

We got to.

You got to leave, too.

Why?

- Because the winds is shifting.
- Well, I don't care.

And you can't fight it this time.

Where we gonna go? Huh? Go where?

Soso. Soso?

You sell this place, we
could buy all of Soso.

Yeah? And grow what, huh?

Can't get nothing in
that ground up there.

You grew crops in a swamp.

Yeah.

I think you can coax a
little corn outta Soso.

How far? All the way through?

All the way.

"Man, can, pan,

"ran, fan."

Very good.

The second row, c-o-b is...

"Cob.

"Job.

"Mob.

"Rob,

Chester.

I need some bailing wire.

That's a cent a foot.

I'll take 60 feet.

Fixing a fence?

Yeah. That's what
bailing wire's for.

You up in Soso, right?

Thought they was just a
bunch o' niggers up there,

Captain Newt.

No, Chester.

Ain't no niggers up there at all.

Got nowhere to go.

They said you was up here
now, making a new farm.

Yeah, I am.

I'm sorry. I just don't
know where to go.

Rebs burned my first farm.
Sherman burned my second.

Guess they agree on that.

Yeah, they do.

We walked all the way
from Birmingham.

He's seen things
nobody should see.

You stay here. Yeah.

I know you all have
your own home now.

No. That's fine. You
stay here with us.

There's a little shack on
the other side of the farm.

We could fix it for you.

You all don't have to do that.

No, we do. You're kin.

Hey.

What you say I teach
ya how to fish?

Yeah?

You know I'm your pa?

Yeah, I know.

Here. Got something for ya.

Look at that. That's
yours now, all right?

Take good care o' that.

Oh, let's not start
crying now, huh?

Ain't that bad of a house.

So come on inside. Come on.

The prosecution would
lead you to believe

that when Serena Knight
left Jones county

in the middle of the war,

she never came back.

Their entire case
hinges on the idea

that if Newton Knight had a
second child after the war,

that child had to be
with Rachel Knight.

But there's a problem with
that, ladies and gentlemen,

because as these census
records clearly indicate,

Serena Knight came
home to Soso in 1865.

Two women living on one
farm at the same time.

Now normally, in a court of law,

we have trouble proving
who the father is,

but in this strange, strange case,

we have trouble
proving the mother.

Time has a way of changing things.

Mr. Newt.

Mr. Newt.

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Hey, hey. What? What?

He gone. He gone.
He gone down there.

Who?

- He got a gun.
- Who?

Moses?

They took him. They took our boy.

Who did? Bunch of men from Eakins.

First thing this morning.

So he got a gun.

Moses.

Stay back now.

Moses, stop, stop, you hear?
You gonna get killed.

It ain't you. It ain't your fight.

I'm going with you.

You his daddy now?

Sir. Huh?

I'm his daddy. It's my
boy. It's your boy.

I'm going with you, Moses.

This is all the help
I need right here.

I'm going with you.

They'll arrest me.

They'll kill you.

Can't nobody own my boy now.

Yes, sir, it's your boy.

- I'm tired.
- Yes, sir.

Let's go get him. You
and me. Come on now.

That's what we're gonna do.

That's my boy.

They'll arrest me.
They'll kill you.

Isaac, don't worry, it's
me. Your uncle Newt.

Let's see. I'm gonna take
you outta here, boy.

Right now?

Yeah, right now.

Come on.

Here we go.

Hold it.

Where you going with that boy?

I'm taking him home.

We have papers on that boy.

"Papers"?

"That the defendant,
Newton Knight,

"did on November 14th, 1865,

"intervene and interfere in
the lawful apprenticeship

"of a Negro child in violation
of Mississippi law."

A what? Apprenticeship?

What is a lawful
apprenticeship, lieutenant?

To quote the statute
on apprenticeship...

"If any apprentice shall
leave the employment

"of his or her master
without consent,

"said master may pursue and
recapture the apprentice

"and bring him before any
justice of the peace

"whose duty it shall be
to remand said apprentice

"to the service of
his or her masters."

You done yet?

You, sir, are out of order.

No, I'm not out of
order, lieutenant.

I understand this quite clearly.

You all get your land back,

then you go and work up some
fancy law just last week

that gets this boy
back in the fields

picking cotton for ya, huh?

Mr. Knight, you're gonna
get your chance to talk.

No, I'm gonna settle
this right here and now.

How much, huh?

How much? You buying
and selling people.

How much, Mr. Eakins?

How much for me to buy back

this here lawful
apprenticeship, huh?

Here's $70. That do it?

Fair enough.

Fair enough.

Here, let's go. Let's go.

No more auction block for me.

No more, no more.

No more driver's lash for me.

No more, no more.

No more pound of salt for
me. No more, no more.

No more auction block for me.

No more, no more.

Union league. Union league.

The meeting of the Soso and
Jones county union league

will officially come to order.

Here it is. Right here.

Congress just passed an amendment

to the United States constitution.

Article 15, section 1.

"The right of citizens of
the United States to vote

"shall not be denied or breached

"by the United States
or by any state

"on account of race, colour,

"or previous condition
of servitude."

That means when we was all slaves.

We got the right to vote now.

Yeah. All right.

Congress done passed the law.

Yeah, it's a black church, Jasper,

but it's a union church as well,

and they fought side-by-side us

and our boys got as much to
lose in this than anyone.

I know.

Well, then get them to
come to one meeting.

Get them to come to one
union league meeting.

They gonna see that
the fight ain't over.

They ain't gonna come,
Newt. They just ain't.

Their war is over.

It's over.

You know better than that.

God bless you, Newt.

You are the most stubborn
man I ever met in my life.

It ain't just for us, all right?

It is for everybody.

Black, white, rich, poor.

It's for our oppressors

who don't even know
what's good for 'em yet.

It's for everybody
who came before us

who couldn't even
read this ballot.

It's for our children,
who, lord willing,

won't have to shed blood
for it like we have.

And it's for their children,
and their children's children.

Push. Push.

One more good push.

I see it coming. One more.

There it is, oh, your baby.

I got your baby.

Look at that nose.

Does he look black
or white to you?

I don't know.

Neither, I guess.

You just a brand-new
thing, ain't ya?

Yes, you is.

Your honour, a new piece of
evidence has come to our attention

that we would like to introduce

as people's exhibit 7.

Objection, your honour.

We weren't noticed on
this piece of evidence.

Well, I wasn't exactly noticed
on his census report either.

What exactly is this new piece
of evidence, counsellor?

The Knight family Bible in
Newt Knight's own hand.

How much you all need?

A lot more than this.

Oh.

This spindle.

Here...

I'll take him.

Aw. There, darling,
it's all right.

It's okay, baby. It's okay.

It's okay.

Look at that. You got him to stop.

Well, men just want to
be listened to, right?

Especially these men.

Getting chilly.

It is.

Yeah.

You ain't got to fill it out now.

I'll fill it out for you.

You gonna register.
You get to vote.

You get to vote in public

and you get to vote
for black folks.

Vote for black folks?

Yes, sir,

black judges. Maybe
even a black sheriff.

I don't know.

That sounds like heaven,

and I ain't ready to die yet.

All right. I'm gonna
need your whole name.

Edward James. Edward...

- Edward James.
- Yes, sir.

- You know how old you are?
- No, sir.

Thirty? 1835 maybe.

That's what we gonna say.

All right.

Don't forget now because they
might ask you some questions.

What's your name?

- Thomas Watson.
- Thomas.

Samuel Weaton.

That's a good name. Strong name.

- Joseph Thomas.
- Joseph Thomas.

We gonna change some
things. All right?

We just got to believe.

Do you know where you was born?

Natchez.

Okay. How old are you?

Do you know your age?

Thirty.

Thirty years old.
What's your last name?

- Davis.
- Davis.

Now what about your...
What about your father?

- What's your mama's name?
- Meryl.

All right.

Hey.

Where you going, Dov?

Hold up there.

I am talking to you, boy.

Say, hey, boy.

I'm talking to you, nigger.

Moses?

Moses.

Moses.

Lord, today we bring
you our brother

to take into your loving arms.

To hold and shelter and bless
with life everlasting.

Lord, if it's the good
that you seek in men,

then you ain't never
gonna find no better

than Mr. Moses Washington.

A man who had so many
reasons to be full of hate,

yet he never was.

And that, lord, is one of
your greatest miracles.

So let us not weep.

Let us not shed a tear here today

because since the day I knew him,

all he ever wanted
to do was get free.

Now he is.

Moses deserved a better
world than this.

Right now, he's got one.

I guess that's it.

It ain't but noon.
Others could show up.

No, they're scared, Jasper.
Scared's a powerful thing.

Don't seem too American for
an election to be over

before it starts, does it?

Nope.

Well, we got 22 registered
Republicans here.

We're damn sure gonna vote.

Twenty-three.

Election day, ain't it?

Sure is.

♪ His truth is marching on ♪

♪ John Brown's body lies
a-mouldering in the grave ♪

♪ John Brown's body lies
a-mouldering in the grave ♪

♪ John Brown's body lies
a-mouldering in the grave ♪

♪ His truth is marching on ♪

♪ He's gone to be a soldier
in the army of the lord ♪

♪ He's gone to be a soldier
in the army of the lord ♪

♪ His truth is marching on ♪

We'd like republican tickets.

We ain't got those yet.

Just the democrat tickets.

We'll wait.

Might be a pretty long wait.

Let me explain something to ya.

These men are here to vote.

They mind dying a whole
lot less than you do.

I'll see if I can find any.

Get him up.

It ain't just for you to decide.

That child has a choice.
I didn't have no choice.

What kind of life do you think
is gonna be better for him?

Yeah, that ain't the point.

I don't want my boy
to get lynched.

Or beat.

I want him to go to a school.

I don't want him to drop his eyes

every time a white man walk by.

I don't want him to
be a "boy" no more

once he turn into a man.

Don't you want that, too?

Of course I do.

We got to go up north.

It ain't your fault
we lost that war.

I know you tried to win
it all by yourself.

This is our home. It's our home.

We would like to offer you

a proposal, Mr. Knight.

This book is pretty
conclusive evidence.

In fact, in all my
years of prosecuting,

I never seen a more damning
piece of evidence.

Now, Mr. Knight, I don't
believe you really knew

which side of the
family you were on.

What's your offer?

We have no desire to send your
client to jail, Mr. Oaks,

but we can't tolerate this
kind of example, either.

So if he will get this
marriage annulled,

leave the state of Mississippi,

then we'll agree to drop
all charges against him.

You mean, I end my marriage?

In case you haven't been here

for the past three
weeks, Mr. Knight,

your marriage is neither a
lawful nor a proper union.

"Proper union"?

Proper...

I was married in this courthouse.

I was married in this courthouse.

But where we gonna go? We can't
get married anywhere else.

Up north, I guess.

We don't know anybody up north.

I understand your client wishes
to change his plea, counsellor.

Yes, he does, your honour.

Is this true, Mr. Knight?

No, it's not, your honour.

Mr. Oaks... If I could just...

Your honour, I'm not
changing my plea

because I'm not
guilty of anything.

Young man, I don't
appreciate these games,

and I am tempted to rescind
your bail right now.

Your honour...

You can rescind anything you want,

but I'm not changing my plea.

Fine.

Bailiff will take the
defendant into custody.

Bail is hereby rescinded.

Your honour...

You missed your chance, Mr. Oaks.

- I love you, honey.
- I love you, too.

I love you, honey.

I love you, too.