Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery

Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery

During the Battle of Boston Heights in the fall of 1775, American General George Washington recognized that installing artillery at Dorchester Heights would provide a tactical advantage against the British entrenched in Boston. More than 150 cannons had been seized by rebels that spring when they captured forts at Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Washington dispatched Colonel Henry Knox, commander of the American artillery, to retrieve the guns. It proved to be a laborious effort filled with frustrations.

With the arrival of winter, the snow and cold weather actually assisted Knox’s men. When the temperature dropped, the ground and river froze enabling them to cross the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, but a mid-winter thaw caused temperatures to fluctuate and impeded their progress. Knox wrote to Washington, “The want of snow detained us some days, and now a cruel thaw hinders from crossing Hudson River, which we are obliged to do four times from Lake George to [Albany].” It was an arduous journey, but the hard work paid off.

Knox’s men brought the guns to Washington’s army by the end of January 1776, which the Americans used to force the British to evacuate Boston on March 17. Knox’s historic march is commemorated with a trail of 56 markers — roughly the same number of days it took Knox to trek between Ticonderoga and Boston.