Henry Knox
The bookseller-turned-general whose daring winter trek brought the cannon that won America its independence.
1750–1806 (age 56)·American Founding Father·Birthday: July 25
Biography
Henry Knox was the improbable artilleryman of the American Revolution, a man of immense girth and even greater determination. Before the war, he ran a London Book-Store in Boston, where he taught himself military science from the volumes on his shelves. His self-education impressed George Washington, who made the 25-year-old his chief of artillery. Knox's defining moment came in the brutal winter of 1775-76. He conceived and executed an impossible mission: hauling 60 tons of captured cannon from Fort Ticonderoga in New York over 300 miles of frozen rivers and mountains to besiege the British in Boston. The 'Noble Train of Artillery' succeeded, forcing a British evacuation and proving Washington's army could execute complex operations. Knox remained Washington's loyal confidant, helping to professionalize the army and later serving as the nation's first Secretary of War, where he advocated for a strong national defense and famously clashed with those favoring militias.
#1 When Henry Was Born
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Henry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1750Born
1755Started school
1763Became a teenager
1766Could drive
1768Could vote
1771Turned 21
1780Turned 30
1790Turned 40
1800Turned 50
1806Died at 56
Key Achievements
- Orchestrated the 'Noble Train of Artillery,' transporting captured cannon from Ticonderoga to Boston in winter 1775-76, a feat crucial to the siege's success.
- Served as the first United States Secretary of War from 1789 to 1794 under President Washington.
- Was a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers.
- Founded a military academy for artillery officers that was a precursor to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Did You Know?
He lost two fingers on his left hand in a hunting accident years before the Revolution.
He was a Freemason and served as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
The famous Fort Knox in Kentucky, a U.S. Army post and bullion depository, is named in his honor.
He and his wife, Lucy Flucker, had one of the most devoted marriages among the Founding Fathers, with a vast correspondence that survives.
“We must have cannon.”
