Sgt. John Newton (1755–1780) was a soldier of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

who was popularized by

Parson Weems Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American minister, evangelical bookseller and author who wrote (and rewrote and republished) the first biography of George Washington immediately a ...

in his school books in the early 19th century. Newton served under Brigadier General

Francis Marion Brigadier-General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the Swamp Fox, was an American military officer, planter and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Ameri ...

, the famous "Swamp Fox". Today Newton appears to have been a very minor figure. However, place names across the United States demonstrate his former fame. He is considered one of the popular fictionalized heroic enlisted men of the American Revolution. Parson Weems' story describes Sgt. Newton bravely saving a group of American prisoners from execution by capturing their British guards at the 1779

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

. However, no contemporary account of this rescue exist, and the only source is the very unreliable Parson Weems. In fact, according to Lieutenant Colonel

Peter Horry Peter Horry (1743 – 28 February 1815) was a planter of Huguenot descent and a South Carolina militia leader. On June 12, 1775, the Provincial Congress of South Carolina elected twenty captains to serve in the 1st and 2nd South Carolina Regimen ...

, who took part in the campaign, "Newton was a Thief & a Villain."Lou Ann Everett (1958). "Myth on the Map". ''American Heritage'' 10 (1): 62-64. Sgt. Newton's tale is similar to the true story of Sergeant

William Jasper William Jasper (''c.'' 1750 – October 9, 1779) was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie (then called Fort Sulliv ...

, who was a genuine hero but his exploits were exaggerated by Weems. Five states (Indiana, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia) have a Newton and Jasper County adjacent to each other, as though they were regarded as a pair. Several other states have a Jasper County with a county seat of Newton, or vice versa.

Notes

External links

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Georgia County Courthouses''American Heritage'' article
1755 births 1780 deaths Continental Army soldiers {{US-mil-bio-stub