Knight was a real historical figure who led an anti-Confederate band in Jones County. His motivations and the extent of his Unionist/abolitionist beliefs are debated, but his leadership of the resistance is factual.

Rachel was a real woman enslaved by Newt's grandfather who aided the Knight Company. After the war, she lived with Newt as his common-law wife and had several children with him.

Moses is a fictional composite character representing the formerly enslaved people who joined Knight's band and fought for civil rights during Reconstruction. His specific story arc and death are fictional but represent historical realities.

Serena Turner Knight was Newt's legal wife with whom he had nine children. Though Newt later lived with Rachel, Serena remained part of the extended, mixed-race Knight community for many years.

This character is fictional, likely created to provide an early emotional catalyst for Newt's disillusionment with the Confederacy.

Hood is largely fictional but inspired by Major Amos McLemore, a Confederate officer killed in Ellisville, likely by Newt Knight. The film's depiction of his death (strangled by Knight) is entirely fabricated.

Newton Knight did desert the Confederate Army, likely driven by factors shown: brutal conditions, resentment over the "Twenty Negro Law," and Confederate seizures of goods.

This Confederate law exempting large slaveholders from service genuinely angered poor non-slaveholding soldiers like Knight and contributed significantly to desertion rates.

Knight organized and led a mixed group of Confederate deserters and self-emancipated slaves who resisted Confederate authorities from hideouts in the swamps.

In the spring of 1864, Knight's company effectively took control of Jones County, driving out Confederate officials and tax collectors.

Reports exist that Knight's men raised the Union flag over the courthouse in Ellisville after taking control, signifying their allegiance, though definitive proof is debated.

The Knight Company fought several skirmishes against Confederate units sent to suppress them, such as the Battle of Ellisville depicted.

While the film depicts Knight strangling the fictional Col. Hood, historical consensus suggests Knight likely shot and killed the real Major Amos McLemore. The specific method of killing in the film is false.

Enslaved people provided vital intelligence, food, and support to the deserters hiding in the swamps. Rachel played a key role in this network.

After the war, Newt separated from Serena and lived openly with Rachel, establishing a long-term common-law marriage and mixed-race family, defying social norms.

The film accurately portrays the restrictive Black Codes and the exploitative apprenticeship system imposed on freedpeople after the war, hindering true freedom.

The struggle for Black suffrage during Reconstruction, including registration efforts and the violent backlash from white supremacists (like the KKK), is accurately depicted through Moses' storyline.

As Moses is fictional, his specific lynching did not occur. However, the depicted event accurately represents the widespread, brutal violence used against Black activists during Reconstruction.

While Jones County was largely outside Confederate control, there's little evidence Knight formally declared it an independent "state." The name likely originated later to describe the area's wartime status.

The trial of Newt's great-grandson for marrying a white woman occurred as depicted and serves to highlight the long legacy of racial laws and the Knight family's complex heritage.

The film accurately portrays the dense forests and difficult swamp terrain that provided refuge for Knight's company.

Battle scenes are praised for their realistic portrayal of Civil War tactics, gruesome injuries, and the primitive state of battlefield medicine.

The film effectively shows the hardship faced by poor families, including Confederate tax-in-kind agents forcibly taking supplies, which fueled resentment.

The film presents slavery realistically, including the brutality and instruments of control like iron punishment collars used on runaways.

Accurately portrays the climate of fear, intimidation, and terrorism perpetuated by white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan against Black citizens attempting to exercise their rights.

Successfully conveys the complexities and failures of Reconstruction, including the fight for voting rights, land ownership issues ("40 acres and a mule"), and the reassertion of white supremacy.

Clothing for civilians and soldiers, as well as the firearms and equipment used, are generally authentic representations of the Civil War era.

Represents the unique reality of the mixed-race community established by Newt Knight in defiance of Mississippi's strict racial hierarchy.

The scenes depicting the Davis Knight trial effectively capture the atmosphere and racial dynamics of the Jim Crow South judiciary.