John Newton (1755–1780) was a soldier of the American Revolutionary War who was popularized by Parson Weems in his school books in the early 19th century.
Newton bravely saving a group of American prisoners from execution by capturing their British guards at the 1779 Siege of Savannah.
[1] In fact, according to Lieutenant Colonel Peter Horry, who took part in the campaign, "Newton was a Thief & a Villain.
Newton's tale is similar to the true story of Sergeant William Jasper, who was a genuine hero but his exploits were exaggerated by Weems.
Six states (Indiana, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, and Georgia) have a Newton and Jasper County adjacent to each other, as though they were regarded as a pair.