General Henry Knox

Born in Boston on July 25, 1750. Child of William and Mary Knox, he was a merchant captain.
At the age of twenty one he opened his first shop called the London Book Store. He was fascinated with everything about military but he focus on artillery.

He was a supporter of the American Rights, he became involved in the Sons of Liberty and was present for the Boston Massacre in 1770.
On June 16, 1774 he married Lucy Flucker, she was the daughter of the Royal Secretary of the Providence of Massachussets.
He voluntereed to serve the colonial forces in June 17, 1775 in the Battle of Bunker Hill , remaining in the military he served with Massachussetts forces in the Army, he soon came to the attention of the General George Washington they both developed a friendly relationship.
Washingtons´s army needed artillery so he asked Knox for help and he proposed the idea of transporting the cannons captured at the Fort of Ticonderoga in New York.

Arriving at Ticonderoga, Knox began moving 59 guns down the Lake George and the Hudson river, the 300 mile journey took Know and his men 56 days to accomplish in the cold weather.
Following the victory at Boston, Knox was sent to Rhode Island and Connectitcut to see the construction of fortifications. Knox became Washingtons chief of artilleryand he was preset during th American defeats that followed that year.

For his service he was promoted to general, traveling to Springfield he established the Springfield Armory which operated for the rest of the war , becoming this a key producer of American weapons for almost two centuries.

Marching out from winter the army followed the British, who were evacuating Philadelphia and fought the at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28,1778.
On March 8, 1785 he was appointed Secretary of war by the Continental Congress he remained in his post until 1789 that George Washington named him Secretary of war in George Washington´s first cabinet .

Knox served as secretary of war until January 2, 1795. When he quit and returned to live with his family he died on October 25, 1806 three days later after acidentally swallowing a chicken bone.