by Mark Puls
Henry Knox excelled at every task given him in service to his country. He placed the nation on solid footing in every venture he launched, from the artillery corps in the Continental Army to the navy in the 1790s. It is easy to take for granted his efforts simply because success is often quiet while failure is conspicuous, and it can be tempting to view the projects he guided as mystically destined for glory. Yet an examination of the historical record shows that his achievements were anything but foregone conclusions. He took great risks and remained a relatively obscure figure to historians because his endeavors were not plagued with problems. The fire at the U.S. War Office in November 1800 that destroyed all the department's records also served to obscure his record.
In the pantheon of Founding Fathers, exclusive membership often is reserved for the politicians who signed the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. But on July 4, 1776, thousands of soldiers—Henry Knox among them—faced the most formidable army in the world. The contributions of soldiers standing in the field are no less significant than those of the delegates who penned their names to the Declaration. At the time the Constitution was adopted, Knox was serving as one of the few national officers in the country, and he had played a key role in spearheading the new framework of government. Knox's career crosses the traditional boundaries between soldier and statesman, and his contribution is difficult to categorize.
Perhaps it is best to imagine his booming voice piercing through the howling wind and falling snow, directing the shivering patriot soldiers as they embarked to cross the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776, and remember a man who risked everything he had for the sake of freedom and his country.
NOTES
CHAPTER 1—LOVE AND WAR
1. Henry Knox letter to David McClure, Henry Knox Papers [hereafter HKP], January 25, 1789.
2. Boston Latin School website, www.bls.org.
3. Samuel Adams, The Writings of Samuel Adams, ed. Alonzo Cushing [hereafter Writings], vol. 2, January 7, 1771.
4. George Bancroft, History of America [hereafter History] (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1882), vol. 3, p. 372.
5. Hiller B. Zobell, The Boston Massacre (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1996), p. 195.
6. Ibid.
7. Bancroft, History, vol. 3, pp. 374–375.
8. Ibid.
9. Boston Gazette, March 12, 1770.
10. Adams, Writings, vol. 2, January 7, 1771.
11. Francis S. Drake, Life and Correspondence of Henry Knox [hereafter Life and Correspondence] (Boston: Samuel G. Drake, 1873), p. 12.
12. Ibid.
13. Noah Brooks, Henry Knox (Cranbury, N.J.: Scholar's Bookshelf, 2000), p. 14.
14. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 16.
15. Ibid., p. 25.
16. Ibid., p. 16.
17. Ibid.
18. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 24.
19. Wright & Gill to Henry Knox, HKP, July 14, 1774.
20. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 14.
21. Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello ed.), vol. 1, pp. 12–13.
22. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 25.
23. Ibid., p. 15.
24. Theodore Thayer, Nathanael Greene, Strategist of the American Revolution (New York: Twain Publishers, 1960), p. 67; Terry Golway, Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution (New York: Owl Book, Henry Holt and Company, 2006), p. 67.
25. Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 14–15.
26. Ibid., p. 127.
27. Alexander Hamilton, The Works of Alexander Hamilton, Federal ed. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904), vol. 1, p. 20.
CHAPTER 2—TICONDEROGA
1. Bancroft, History of America, vol. 4, p. 168.
2. Jane E. Triber, A True Republican: The Life of Paul Revere (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1998), p. 118.
3. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 18.
4. Ibid., p. 19.
5. George Washington, General Orders, July 29, 1775, George Washington Papers [hereafter GWP].
6. Ibid., July 10, 1775.
7. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 19.
8. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 2, p. 103.
9. John Adams to Joseph Warren, Letters of Delegates to the Continental Congress, in Paul Smith et al., Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789, CD-ROM ed. [hereafter Letters of Delegates] (Summerfield, FL: Historic Database, 1998), vol. 1, p. 652.
10. Samuel Adams to Elbridge Gerry, Letters of Delegates, vol. 2, p. 63.
11. John Adams to John Thomas, Letters of Delegates, vol. 25, p. 559.
12. Henry Knox to John Adams, HKP, October 26, 1775; Callahan, Henry Knox, pp. 34–35.
13. Ibid.
14. George Washington to John Trumbull, GWP, November 2, 1775.
15. Journals of the Continental Congress, September 20, 1775.
16. George Washington to Continental Congress, GWP, November 8, 1775.
17. John Adams to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 2, p. 329.
18. George Washington to Henry Knox, GWP, November 16, 1775.
19. Ibid.
20. George Washington to Philip J. Schuyler, GWP, November 16, 1775.
21. Journals of the Continental Congress, November 17, 1775, vol. 3, p. 358.
22. Henry Knox to George Washington, GWP, November 27, 1775.
23. Ibid., December 5, 1775.
24. John Hancock to George Washington, Letters of Delegates, vol. 2, p. 424.
25. Washington, General Orders, GWP, December 12, 1775.
26. Henry Knox to George Washington, GWP, December 17, 1775.
27. Callahan, Henry Knox, p. 46.
28. Henry Knox, Henry Knox Diary, Massachusetts Historical Society, entry for December 26, 1775.
29. Henry Knox to George Washington, GWP, January 5, 1776.
30. Philip J. Schuyler to George Washington, GWP, January 5, 1776.
31. Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 24–25.
32. Ibid.
33. Callahan, Henry Knox, pp. 51–52.
34. Ibid., p. 54.
35. John Adams, Diary, online at Masshist.org, entry for January 25, 1776.
36. General Officers Council, GWP, February 16, 1776.
37. Frank Moore, ed., Diary of the American Revolution from Newspapers and Original Documents [hereafter Diary] (New York: Charles Scribner, 1858), vol. 1, pp. 147–148.
38. George Washington to Continental Congress, GWP, March 7, 1776.
39. Ibid.
40. Moore, Diary, vol. 1, p. 154.
41. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, March 19, 1776.
42. Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Nelson, Letters of the Delegates to Congress, vol. 4, p. 13.
CHAPTER 3—RAGAMUFFINS
1. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 4, p. 283.
2. George Washington to Henry Knox, GWP, April 3, 1776.
3. Henry Knox to George Washington, HKP, April 21, 1776.
4. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 27.
5. Alexander Hamilton, Artillery Company Report, GWP, April 20, 1776.
6. General Orders, GWP, May 7, 1776.
7. Ibid., May 15, 1776.
8. Ibid., May 20, 1776.
9. Robert Treat Paine to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 4, p. 109.
10. John Adams to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 4, p. 115.
11. Ibid.
12. Continental Army Court Martial, GWP, proceedings at New York City, June 26, 1776; General Orders, GWP, June 27, 1776; George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, June 28, 1776; Pennsylvania Journal, June 26, 1776; Pennsylvania Evening Post, July 2, 1776; Moore, Diary, vol. 1, pp. 177, 178.
13. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 28.
14. Ibid.
15. General Orders, GWP, July 9, 1776.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid., July 10, 1776.
18. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, July 22, 177
6.
19. Robert Treat Paine to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 4, p. 473.
20. Pennsylvania Journal, July 20, 1776; Moore, Diary, vol. 1, pp. 187–188.
21. Ibid.
22. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5, p. 607.
23. Robert Treat Paine to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 4, p. 555.
24. Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, HKP, August 11, 1776.
25. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 60.
26. General Orders, GWP, August 13, 1776.
27. Adams to John Adams, August 16, 1776, in Samuel Adams, Writings, vol. 3; George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, September 24, 1776.
28. John Adams to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 4, p. 671.
29. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5, p. 694.
30. Henry Knox to John Adams, HKP, August 21, 1776.
31. Pennsylvania Journal, August 28, 1776, Moore, Diary, vol. 1, p. 201.
32. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 29.
33. David Hacket Fischer, Washington's Crossing (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), P. 21.
34. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, September 2, 1776.
35. Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, HKP, September 5, 1776.
36. Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 30–31.
37. Ibid., pp. 31–32.
38. John Adams to Henry Knox, Letters of Delegates, vol. 5, p. 261; Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5, p. 838.
39. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5, pp. 762–763; John Hancock to George Washington, Letters of Delegates, vol. 5, p. 230; John Hancock to Philip Schuyler, Letters of Delegates, vol. 5, p. 255.
40. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5, p. 844.
41. Ibid.
42. George Washington to Henry Knox, GWP, November 10, 1776.
43. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, November 14, 1776.
44. Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 33–34.
45. Ibid.
46. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 6, p. 1027.
CHAPTER 4—DELAWARE CROSSING
1. Henry Knox, "A Plan for the Establishment of a Corps of Continental Artillery, Magazines, Laboratories," GWP, December 18, 1776.
2. Ibid.
3. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, December 20, 1776.
4. Ibid.
5. Henry B. Carrington, Battles of the American Revolution: 1775–1781 (New York: Promontory Press, 1877), p. 267.
6. George Bancroft, History of the United States, vol. 5, p. 97.
7. Ibid.
8. David Hackett Fisher, Washington's Crossing, p. 206.
9. Callahan, Henry Knox, p. 83.
10. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, December 27, 1776.
11. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 36.
12. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, December 27, 1776.
13. Callahan, Henry Knox, p. 91.
14. Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 36–37.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, December 17, 1776.
18. Francis Lewis to Robert Morris, Letters of Delegates, vol. 5, p. 671.
19. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 6, p. 1043.
20. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 37.
21. Fischer, Washington's Crossing, p. 274.
22. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 37.
23. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, January 1, 1777.
24. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 38.
25. Ibid.
26. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 84.
27. Ibid.
28. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 40.
29. Ibid.
30. George Washington to Colonel Benjamin Flower, GWP, January 16, 1777.
31. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, January 17, 1777.
32. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 41.
33. George Washington to Jonathan Trumbull, GWP, February 11, 1777; Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 41.
34. George Washington to Henry Knox, GWP, February 11, 1777.
35. George Washington to John Hancock, GWP, February 14, 1777.
36. John Adams' Diary, Letters of Delegates, vol. 6, p. 334.
37. George Washington to Henry Knox, GWP, March 14, 1777.
38. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 89.
39. George Washington to Samuel Holden Parsons, GWP, April 3, 1777; Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 7, p. 262.
40. John Adams to Nathanael Greene, Letters of Delegates, vol. 6, p. 571; Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 7, p. 266.
41. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 41.
42. Callahan, Henry Knox, p. 105.
43. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 42.
44. Ibid.
45. General Orders, GWP, May 8, 1777.
46. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 42.
47. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, May 31, 1777; Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 8, p. 145.
48. George Washington to Richard Henry Lee, GWP, June 1, 1777; Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 8, p. 159.
49. John Adams to Nathanael Greene, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, p. 163.
50. John Adams to Abigail Adams, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, p. 207.
51. Charles Carroll to Charles Carroll Sr., Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, p. 189.
52. James Lovell to Joseph Trumbull, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, p. 171.
53. John Adams to Abigail Adams and John Adams to James Warren, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, pp. 207, 221.
54. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 42.
55. Ibid., p. 135.
56. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 8, p. 528.
57. James Lovell to Benjamin Franklin, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, p. 292.
58. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 8, p. 537.
59. John Adams to Nathanael Greene, Letters of Delegates, vol. 7, pp. 305–307.
60. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 43.
61. George Washington to Phillipe Du Coudray, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 8, p. 396.
62. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 8, p. 553.
63. Ibid., p. 569.
CHAPTER 5—THE BATTLE FOR PHILADELPHIA
1. Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, HKP, July 26, 1777.
2. Marquis de Lafayette, "Lafayette Arrives in America," America, vol. 3, pp. 219–220.
3. Ibid.
4. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 8, pp. 592–593.
5. Marquis de Lafayette, Memoirs of Lafayette, online at gutenberg.org.
6. Henry Knox to George Washington, Gilder Lehrman Collection, online at GilderLehrman.org, letter of August 20, 1777.
7. Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, Gilder Lehrman Collection, August 23, 1777.
8. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, September 9, 1777; George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 9, pp. 197–198.
9. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, 5 o'clock, September 11, 1777; George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 9, pp. 206–207; Drake, Life and Correspondence, pp. 48–49.
10. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 47.
11. Ibid., pp. 48–49.
12. George Washington to the Continental Congress, GWP, at midnight, September 11, 1777; George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 9, p. 208.
13. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 47.
14. Ibid., p. 50.
15. Hamilton, Works of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 9, pp. 78–79.
16. Drake, Life and Correspondence, p. 50.
17. Ibid.
18. Rivington's Gazette, November 8, 1777, Moore, Diary, vol. 1, p. 331.
19. Drake,
Life and Correspondence, p. 51.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid., p. 53.
22. Ibid., p. 54.
23. Ibid.
24. Brooks, Henry Knox, p. 113.
25. George Washington to Richard Henry Lee, GWP, October 17, 1777; George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 9, p. 388.
26. Henry Laurens to Benjamin Huger, Letters of Delegates, vol. 8, p. 271.
27. Letters of Delegates, vol. 8, p. 314.
28. William Alexander, Lord Stirling to George Washington, GWP, November 25, 1777.
29. George Washington to Nathanael Greene, GWP, November 26, 1777; George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Fitzpatrick ed., vol. 10, pp. 106–107.
30. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 9, p. 958.
31. Henry Knox to George Washington, Gilder Lehrman Collection, November 26, 1777.
32. Ibid.
33. James Lovell to Horatio Gates, Letters of Delegates, vol. 8, p. 329.
34. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 9, pp. 971–972.
35. Ibid., pp. 972, 976.
36. Henry Knox to George Washington, Gilder Lehrman Collection, letters of December 1, 1777 and December 5, 1777.
37. Callahan, Henry Knox, p. 128.
38. Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 9, pp. 1025–1026.
39. Harlow Giles Unger, Lafayette, (New York: Wiley, 2002), p. 60.
40. Ibid.
41. John Sullivan to George Washington, GWP, letters of December 30, 1777, and January 2, 1778; Charles T. Whittemore, A General of the Revolution: John Sullivan of New Hampshire (New York: Columbia University Press, 1961), p. 79.
42. Callahan, Henry Knox, pp. 132–133.
