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Mississippi Pineywood loyalties

I found some interesting opinion in the book "Grierson's Raid" by Alexander Brown, 1981, he quotes from "Confederate Mississippi" by John K. Bettersworth, 1943.

I summerize...

Mississippi Pineywoods-

Poor white country, small farms, far apart, the boiling of pine turpintine is very common. By 1863 this area is very disloyal to the Confederate cause, this has been mis-interpeted as being pro-Union, it is actually a back-lash against conscription [from writings by Grierson's Union soldiers writings in Brown's book]. By 1863 they became loyal to neither side, having no slaves or very few, these people only wanted to be left alone.

When their homes were approached by Confederate authorities, women would volunteer these lies....

Our husbands were away [in the army]
No milk only water
No men around here
We don't own any blacks

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This caught my attention and is not referenced in the newer histories of this area now being written about the Free State of Jones and Newt Knight. Resistance in the Pineywoods to Union forces did occur, like at Garlandville where a home guard made up of old men, armed with shotguns, fought a brief skirmish with Grierson's men and the capture of a Union raid in Jones County. However, Union forces do report meeting families and people throughout this area willing to cooperate. In arguement to those reports they also cooperated with Confederate forces. These people were too poor to resist anyone; mistreated and neglected, had little reason to die for any political cause.

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David Upton

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