Maxwell "Max" Newman 1849 - 1941
Excerpted from The Family and Descendants of Jonathan Newman, an American Patriot from Lynches River, South Carolina, by W. Leroy Moffett
Aaron Maxwell Newman 1849 - 1941
The following statement was made by Aaron Maxwell Newman upon his admission as an inmate in 1937 to Beauvoir Soldier's Home near Gulfport and Biloxi in Harrison County, Mississippi. Beauvoir (meaning beautiful view) is located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It was the former home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. Late in life, he deeded this home to the State of Mississippi for use as a home and hospital for Confederate Veterans. When Aaron Maxwell died here, he was 92 years of age.
The Fayette Chronicle; Fayette, Mississippi
Dated: circa February 1, 1941
A. M. Newman Dead; buried at Beauvoir
Served Confederacy as youth and died in the Soldier's Home, January 26th
"Mr. A. M. Newman (Max Newman), native of Franklin County, died at the Old Soldier's Home, Beauvoir, on January 26th, and was buried in the Jefferson Davis Soldier's Home Cemetery. Services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Landrum, pastor of the First Methodist Church, Gulfport.
At the time of his death, Mr. Newman was just past his 92nd birthday, and had been an inmate of the Home for 14 years.
He was admitted to the Home on the following statement of his antecedents and service to the Confederacy, which is published because of his wide connection of relatives in this and adjoining counties, who will doubtless be interested:"
"My name is A. Maxwell Newman. I was born in Franklin County, Mississippi, December 27, 1849. I am now (at the time of entry in the Home) 88 years of age.
My father's name was S. M. Newman, a farmer and small slave-owner in Franklin County. My mother's name was Margaret Herring. She was the daughter of Aaron Herring. He was a large planter and slave-owner, living in the Northwest corner of Franklin County, on the Jefferson County line, at the head of Morgan's Fork (Creek). My father's father's home was ten miles from Meadville, about half way to Union Church. The place bordered on the Jefferson County Line. My father's mother was a Lowry. She was related to General Lowry.
I was too young to go into the Civil War at the time it broke out. In December, 1864, I was fifteen years of age. Since I was subject to conscription at the age of sixteen years, I volunteered for service with the Confederate forces in Franklin County, Mississippi, preparatory to entering into actual service as a soldier when I arrived at the age of sixteen. The country at that time suffered greatly from the raids of the Federal soldiers from Vicksburg. They would come through the country, destroy property, carry off livestock and food stuffs for the support of the Army at Vicksburg. My companions and myself were organized in Franklin County, Mississippi, for the purpose of protecting that county and surrounding counties. e furnished our own guns and ammunition and we protected the country against the raids of Federal soldiers. We would capture then and turn them over to the nearest Confederate officer.
Early in the year 1865, a band to which I belonged, composed of about fifteen young men, captured forty Federal soldiers west of Brookhaven, Mississippi. We took their horses away from them and we took their arms and delivered the same to the Confederate authorities.
I was at all times during such service exposed to capture by Federal soldiers, and if captured would have been dealt with as any other captured soldier and would have been confined in prison.
One of our principal duties was that of supplying food for the Confederate forces. It was our duty, and we scoured the country, taking from each farmer one out of ten of his head of livestock-that is to say, hogs and cattle. We delivered this livestock to a Confederate officer either at Hazlehurst or Brookhaven to be used in feeding the Confederate soldiers.
I continued in this service until Lee surrendered to Grant, April 10, 1865. I was paid $3.00 a day in Confederate money. We were under a Captain by the name of Captain Crawford. The services which I performed were military in character, were valuable in the protection of the community in which I lived, and were preparatory to my entering into active service as a Confederate soldier.
At least twenty-five members of my immediate family (connection) served in the Confederate Army. I had by one brother. His name was Ben Newman, and he was a cripple and unable to render military service. My father, S. M. Newman, became a private soldier in a company organized by Captain McGehee. The company was composed largely of Franklin County young men. My uncle, Jim Herring, and my cousin, Wesley Brown, at the outbreak of the war, volunteered, and went to Union Church, Mississippi, and joined the Union Church Rifles, a company organized by the Honorable Charles Clark, a distinguished lawyer of Jefferson County, Mississippi, who afterwards became Governor of the State of Mississippi.
My father's company was stationed at a place called Milldale, in the Northern portion of Mississippi.
At least twelve of my close relatives were either killed in action or died in the service. My cousin, Wesley Brown, died on his way from the Virginia Army. My sister's husband, John Archie Cato, of Union Church, Mississippi, was a private soldier in the Tennessee Army, around Corinth. He was killed July 16, 1864 (Battle of Shiloh). I was present at the Presbyterian Church in Union Church, Mississippi, when one of his companions returned and rode up the Church with is horse. The same was delivered to his widow, my sister. She then had in her arms an infant son, afterwards known as Louis A. Cato, of Union Church, Mississippi.
My Captain was a man by the name of Crawford. I do not know his first name, but we called him Captain Crawford."
The foregoing narrative was furnished The Chronicle by Hon. Will H. Watkins, of Jackson, who was a kinsman of Mr. Newman, through the Herring line, and who had been interested in his well-being during his declining years. Practically all of the soldiery of the 1861-'65 conflict have passed away, and few of the youths of that time remain to recount to the youth of the present generation, the heroism and tribulations of that war period. We are confident that many of the lads of the present time will read with interest these facts concerning the part the lads of tender age had in the defense of their homes while the adults were away in the Armies of the South.