FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Nathanael Greene: The General Who Saved the Revolution Henry Knox: Washington s Artilleryman Francis Marion: Swamp Fox of South Carolina Daniel Morgan: Fighting Frontiersman John Stark: Live Free or Die Richard M. Strum
DEDICATION: For my friends and colleagues at Fort Ticonderoga. Frontispiece: American soldiers guide a train of oxen that is transporting cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Henry Knox s success in this difficult endeavor helped the Patriots win an early victory and made him one of George Washington s most trusted officers. OTTN Publishing 16 Risler Street Stockton, NJ 08859 www.ottnpublishing.com Copyright 2007 by OTTN Publishing. All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Strum, Richard M. Henry Knox : Washington's artilleryman / Richard M. Strum. p. cm. (Forgotten heroes of the American Revolution) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-59556-013-1 ISBN-10: 1-59556-013-0 ISBN-13: 978-1-59556-018-6 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 1-59556-018-1 (pbk.) 1. Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 Juvenile literature. 2. Generals United States Biography Juvenile literature. 3. United States. Continental Army Biography Juvenile literature. 4. United States History Revolution, 1775-1783 Campaigns Juvenile literature. 5. Washington, George, 1732-1799 Friends and associates Juvenile literature. 6. Cabinet officers United States Biography Juvenile literature. 7. United States Politics and government 1783-1809 Juvenile literature. I. Title. E207.K74S77 2007 973.3092 dc22 [B] 2006023083 TABLE OF CONTENTS Why Henry Knox Should Be Remembered...6 1 Dorchester Heights...9 2 Early Life...14 3 Guns for General Washington...22 4 The Fight for Independence...32 5 A New Nation...53 6 Twilight and Accomplishments...67 Chronology...72 Glossary...74 Further Reading...76 Internet Resources...77 Index...78 Publisher s Note: All quotations in this book come from original sources, and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original text. 5
Why Henry Knox Should Be Remembered The Council of Officers are unanimously of opinion, That the Command of the Artillery should no longer continue in Col: Gridley, and knowing of no person better qualified to supply his place, or whose Appointment will give more general satisfaction, have taken the liberty of recommending Henry Knox, Esqr to the consideration of the Congress. George Washington, letter to Continental Congress, November 8, 1775 Genl Knox, who has deservedly acquired the Character of One of the most valuable Officers in the Service, and who, combating almost innumerable difficulties in the department he fills, has placed the Artillery upon a footing, that does him the greatest Honor. George Washington, letter to Continental Congress, May 31, 1777 Knox was one of those providential characters which spring up in emergencies, as if they were formed by and for the occasion. Washington Irving, in Life of George Washington (1859) One of the most impressive developments in the Continental army was the creation of the artillery arm. Not even in existence at the beginning of the war, this branch of the service grew to a point where big guns became the decisive factor in the Yorktown campaign.... Henry Knox was the person primarily responsible for this amazing expansion. North Callahan, in George Washington s Generals and Opponents: Their Exploits and Leadership, edited by George Athan Billias (1994) It was the daring and determination of Knox himself that had counted above all. The twenty-five-year-old Boston bookseller had proven himself a leader of remarkable ability, a man not only of enterprising ideas, but with the staying power to carry them out. David McCullough, in 1776 (2005) It is with peculiar Pleasure... that the Commander in Chief can inform General Knox and the Officers of Artillery that the Enemy have done them the Justice to acknowledge that no Artillery could be better served than ours. George Washington, general orders for June 29, 1778, following the Battle of Monmouth [Knox] was particularly remarkable for the attention he paid to the artillery service, a branch of military science for which he always [showed] a predilection.... The energetic spirit of the young man, and the handsome manner in which he executed a task, abounding with what some would have considered impossibilities, attracted the especial notice of Washington, and Knox, in consequence, was rewarded with the command of this very artillery.... He owed his advancement, in part also, to his superior knowledge of the department, there being, at that period, few persons in America competent for the office. Charles J. Peterson, in The Military Heroes of the Revolution with a Narrative of the War of Independence (1848) 6 7
George Washington stands atop Dorchester Heights with one of the cannon batteries that forced the British to evacuate Boston in March 1776. The Patriot victory Washington s first during the Revolution was made possible by 25-year-old Henry Knox. 1 DORCHESTER HEIGHTS General William Howe, commander of the British troops in North America, was livid. It was the morning of March 5, 1776, and somehow, overnight, the rebels had built what appeared to be a strong fort atop Dorchester Heights. From this high position, the Americans could fire down on British troops in the city of Boston and threaten British ships in the city s harbor. The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month! he roared. WASHINGTON S PLAN The fortification of Dorchester Heights was part of General George Washington s plan to force the British out of 9
10 Henry Knox: Washington s Artilleryman Boston. He had ordered his men to bring captured cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge through the winter snows, so they could be placed on Dorchester Heights. But secrecy was essential to Washington s plan. If the British army learned what the Americans were doing, the redcoats could easily storm the Heights and prevent the cannons from being placed there. On the night of March 2, the American artillery opened fire on the British in Boston as a distraction. Washington hoped to convince General Howe and other British officers that the Continental Army planned to attack Boston on the north side. General Washington moved troops and supplies to support an attack on the north, making sure the British could see his preparations. The British were fooled. On the night of March 4, the American artillery again opened fire with a prolonged bombardment. Under the cover of the bombardment, General John Thomas, with 2,000 men and 400 oxen, dragged cannons to the top of Dorchester Heights. Unable to build real earthworks without the British hearing the men at work with entrenching tools, General Thomas used fascines (bundles of sticks tied together) made earlier to build quick redoubts. When dawn arrived on March 5, these temporary redoubts, with cannons pointed down at the city and out on the British navy in the harbor, appeared strong Because the Continental Army had to work quickly, their initial fortifications on Dorchester Heights consisted of fascines like the ones pictured here. Continental soldiers had prepared these bundles of sticks beforehand, and on the night of March 4, 1776, a division commanded by General John Thomas (inset) carried them up the hill. to the British below. The Continentals continued to reinforce the redoubts, which grew stronger and more difficult to attack every day. A CONTINENTAL VICTORY The cannons put the British position in the city of Boston and the British fleet in Boston Harbor at risk. As General
Dorchester Heights 13 British soldiers load supplies into small boats during the evacuation of Boston. Howe was soon to learn, the British in Boston and on the naval vessels in the harbor could not elevate their guns high enough to return fire. Howe and Rear Admiral Molyneaux Shuldham had two options attack the fortifications to remove the rebel cannons, or withdraw from Boston after nearly 11 months of occupation. The British tried to dislodge the rebels from their positions on Dorchester Heights, but a violent wind and rain storm caused the attack to fail. After nearly two weeks of indecision, General Howe acknowledged the strength of the rebel positions and ordered an evacuation of Boston by British troops. On March 17, 1776, more than 13,000 British troops, 60 British vessels, and nearly 1,100 loyal colonists left Boston by boat, headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The evacuation of Boston was a great victory for the young FAST FACT March 17 remains an important holiday in Boston. While many celebrate the day as St. Patrick s Day, the holiday is still known as Evacuation Day, commemorating the anniversary of the British withdrawal from Boston in 1776. The city celebrates with a grand parade, dinners, essay contests, and scores of other activities. In recognition of the historic connection between Fort Ticonderoga and Boston, the Fort Ticonderoga Fife & Drum Corps participates in the festivities each year. Continental Army and a humiliating defeat for General William Howe, commander in chief of British forces in North America. One man, a 25-year-old colonel in the Continental Army, deserved most of the credit for forcing the British out of Boston, his hometown. That man was Henry Knox.
Index Index Adams, John, 16, 1 7 Allen, Ethan, 23, 2 4 André, John, 48 Arnold, Benedict, 23, 2 4, 48 Articles of Confederation, 5 7, 58 artillery, 33 at Dorchester Heights, 9 11, 29 31 transfer of, from Ticonderoga, 23 30, 71 Battle of Fallen Timbers, 6 5, 66 Battle of Germantown, 44 See also Philadelphia Battle of Monmouth, 4 6, 47 Battle of Trenton, 3 9 See also New Jersey Battles of Lexington and Concord, 23 Boston closing of the harbor at, 20 21 evacuation of, by the British, 9 13, 31 Boston Massacre, 19 20 Boston Port Bill, 20 21 Boston Tea Party, 20 21 Burgoyne, John, 45 Callahan, North, 7 Cambridge, 10, 29 Campbell, Mary (mother), 14 cannons, 33 See also artillery Chew, Benjamin, 43 44 Constitutional Convention, 58 59 Continental Army at Dorchester Heights, 9 13 See also individual battle names Cornwallis, Charles, 49 50 Delaware River crossing, 38 39 Dorchester Heights, 9 13, 29 Evacuation Day (March 17), 13, 71 See also Boston Flucker, Lucy (Mrs. Henry Knox). See Knox, Lucy Flucker (wife) Flucker, Thomas, 18 19, 68 Fort Ticonderoga, 10, 13, 23 26, 27, 71 Fort Washington, 36 38 See also New York City France, 46, 49 Gage, Thomas, 21 Gates, Horatio, 45 General Henry Knox Museum, 6 8 George Washington s Generals and Opponents (Callahan), 7 Greene, Caty (Mrs. Nathanael Greene), 46, 56 Greene, Nathanael, 16 17, 37 38, 55 56 Hamilton, Alexander, 4 8, 60, 64 Harmar, Josiah, 61 62 Howe, Richard, 34 Howe, William, 9 13, 31, 34 35, 41, 43 Irving, Washington, 7 Jefferson, Thomas, 60 Knox, Henry, 5 4 and artillery transfer from Ticonderoga, 23 30, 71 and artillery transfer to Yorktown, 49 50 at the Battle of Monmouth, 47 birth of, 14 as bookseller, 16 19, 21 and the Boston Massacre, 19 20 childhood and early life, 14 15 death of, 70 71 and defense of New York City, 32, 34, 35 36 and defense of Philadelphia, 41, 43 46 and Delaware River crossing, 38 39 at Dorchester Heights, 29 31 enlists in the Continental Army, 22 23 family life and children, 32, 40, 45 46, 52, 53, 63 64, 67 70 financial difficulties of, 55, 64 65, 70 founds the Society of the Cincinnati, 51 friendship of, with Washington, 23, 36, 45, 52, 53 letters of, 19, 23, 24, 32, 38 39, 41, 47, 50 marriage of, to Lucy Flucker, 18 19, 21 as Massachusetts legislator, 70 at Morristown, 40 41 and the navy, 62 63 and Northwest Territory conflicts, 60 62, 64, 65 66 promotions of, 29, 3 9, 40, 50 51 retirement of, 66 67 as secretary at war (1785-89), 53 59 as secretary of war (1789-94), 60 67 and training, 36, 43 training of, in a British artillery unit, 15 and West Point, 43, 48, 51 See also Dorchester Heights Knox, Henry J. (son), 70 71 Knox, Lucy Flucker (wife), 18 19, 21, 23, 31, 32, 40, 45 46, 53, 63 64 Knox, William, and Mary Campbell (parents), 14 Knox, William (brother), 24 26, 40, 47 Lake George, 26 27 Life of George Washington (Irving), 7 Lincoln, Benjamin, 56, 58 London Book-Store, 16 18, 31 See also Knox, Henry Maine, 64 65, 66 70 maps 1776-77 campaigns, 4 2 artillery transfer from Ticonderoga, 2 9 Knox s Maine property, 6 9 McCullough, David, 7 The Military Heroes of the Revolution (Peterson), 6 Montpelier (Knox s home), 67 71 Native Americans in the Northwest Territory, 60 62, 64, 65 66 navy, American, 62 63 navy, British, 34 New Jersey, 38 40, 47 New York City, 32, 34 38, 47, 51 52, 55 fire in, 3 7 See also Fort Washington Noble Train of Artillery, 28 29, 3 0 See also artillery Northwest Territory, 60 62, 64, 65 66 Palmer, Charles, 27 Peterson, Charles J., 6 Philadelphia, 41, 43 46, 60, 63 Randolph, Edmund, 60 Revere, Paul, 16 Saratoga, 45 Schuyler, Philip, 25 1776 (McCullough), 7 Shays, Daniel, 56 58 Shays s Rebellion, 56 58 Shuldham, Molyneaux, 12 Society of the Cincinnati, 51, 5 5, 7 1 St. Clair, Arthur, 61 62, 65 66 Stuart, Gilbert, 18 taxes, 20, 56, 64 Thomas, John, 10 11 Ticonderoga. See Fort Ticonderoga Treaty of Paris, 51 52 U.S.S. Constitution, 62 63, 70 Valley Forge, 44 46 Waldo, Samuel, 68 69 Ward, Artemas, 22 Washington, George, 6, 22, 24, 27, 45, 51, 58 59, 61 62 at the Battle of Monmouth, 47 at the Battle of Trenton, 3 9, 40 and defense of New York City, 32, 34 38 and defense of Philadelphia, 41, 43 46 at Dorchester Heights, 9 11, 31 friendship of, with Knox, 23, 52, 53 at Valley Forge, 44 46 at Yorktown, 49 50 Washington, Martha (Mrs. George Washington), 46 Wayne, Anthony, 65 66 West Point (United States Military Academy), 43, 48, 51 Whiskey Rebellion, 64 66 Yorktown, 49 50 Numbers in bold italics refer to captions. 78 79