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of America. It became literally a no-man?s land, and by the spring (a correction says ?late winter?) of 1864, the scandal of its presence demanded action. Gen. Polk responded to these demands and ordered the 6th and 20th Mississippi Regiments to proceed from demopolis. Col. Robert Lowry, who had led the 6th Regiment since Shiloh, was given the command and ordered to "take charge of the expedition against deserters and disloyal men between Pearl River and Tombigbee, south of the Southern Railroad". You "will proceed without delay by cars to Meridian, with the command organized for that purpose, and execute with vigor the verbal instructions already received from the lieutenant-general commanding."
Pvt. Baxter knew about the general situation in Jones and neighboring counties, but it is unlikely he realized the magnitude of insurrection that existed there. Jones County appears to have been the center of things, and was frequently referred to as the "Free State of Jones." Hundreds of Jones County men had organized what amounted to a paramilitary force, complete with officers. They, for all practical purposes, declared open war on the Confederate States of America. Heavily armed and usually mounted, they preyed on Confederate supply trains for the most part, but they were also known to ambush small groups of Confederate soldiers and to raid farms and villages with known allegiance to the South. They were as ruthless a pack of bushwackers as any found in the border states, and because of the special terrain in this part of ji^ssissippi, they had dozens of hiding places to which they could retreat and virtually disappear.
Outsiders were in immediate life-and-death danger, particularly if these outsiders wore anything remotely resembling a Southern uniform. Col. Lowry, tough-minded and experienced, abandoned any squeamish scruples he might have had and decided at the outset to fight fire with fire. And his methods could certainly be termed severe. He was ruthless in questioning old men and young boys concerning the whereabouts of deserters, and threats of hanging were frequently made when trying to extract information.
Retribution was swift for those who fired on Lowry?s men. Capt. Wm. B. Thompson of Company H, 6th Mississippi Regiment described this episode in Jones County: "We moved near Knight's
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