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Introduction
In Love and War: Henry and Lucy Knox
When twenty-six-year-old Henry Knox, the Continental Army’s artillery
commander, penned this letter to his wife, Lucy, patriot morale was at
a low point (GLC 02437.00363). The summer of 1776 was a particularly
hard time as word of Congress’s Declaration of Independence had
not yet reached George Washington’s headquarters, while just five
days earlier, the British had orchestrated the largest amphibious landing
of the eighteenth century when they put a powerful force on Staten Island.
Knox understood the critical nature of the Continental Army’s situation
when he said, "The eyes of all America are upon us, the matters which
we are to act are of infinitely high import as we play our part posterity
will bless or curse us." Knox told his wife of a little more than
two years that 10,000 redcoats occupied the other side of New York harbor;
by the middle of August there would be 32,000 redcoats to face-off against
the 7,000 rag-tag troops the Americans had assembled. In the midst
of this military showdown, Knox’s letter allows us to see the human
element of warfare. During the Revolutionary War, wives were known
to accompany their husbands in their service to the nation. In a
previous letter, Lucy expressed great desire to join her husband in New
York, citing the travels of other general’s wives. With great
emotion, Henry told her not to follow the example of another military
couple as the officer is merely a man and "wants to see her because
she is a Woman." Knox wrote that his love for her was too great
to risk her capture at this grave time. He was right; the Americans
suffered serious setbacks in New York, which would keep them separated
for some time.
David J. Gary
Manuscript Cataloger
Gilder Lehrman Collection
Transcript
| New York July
8. 6 oClock in the [Morng]
My dear Lucy
I received yours of last Saturday by Mr Belford, Mrs. Greene
Return to was a vast surprize to us as to miss Airey I conjecture
he[r] whimsical mother sent these Gentlemen up after her. –
my Lucy acted herself and acted right in not returning to this
place – It is a happiness and the greatest happiness for
me to be with you, but to be under a continual uneasiness on
account of your safety is what You would not wish – as
to Mrs. G. husband being happy to see her in all times and in
all places & much mistaken if it would not have di[s]abled
him from the service whether he had not have rather lost his
arm than have seen her here at this time – he was over
here at the time she arriv’d and would not beleive she
was coming untill he saw her – Genl Putnam ask’d
her if she had ever read Betsey Thoutghtely, – [struck:
other Gentlemen] other
people may view the light in a different manner from me –
But we must stand and fall by our own opinion and not by theirs
– The peace of this Town and [inserted: of] the safety
[strikeout] Safety of the Ladies is upon the most precarious
tenor imaginable – The enemy at farthist not more than
three quarters of an hours sail from us, and if they should
come of a dark night not more possibly than ten [2] minutes
before we must be in action – Think my dear Lucy of ten
minutes to get your carriage tuck’d to get [on] and dress
yourself and get out of Town in a dark night not knowing whether
to go not knowing the road the Carri[a]ge as likely as not oversetting
& my dear Girl fright’d to death – add her heavenly
Gift the sweet babe to it & the very view would be insupportable,
the reality would kill me – You say the enemy are landed
on Staten Island waiting a reinforcement, what security have
we of this? by the best accounts they are 10,000, and the reinforcement
may be in to day – The eyes of all America are upon us,
– the matters which we are to act are of infinitely high
import as we play our part posterity will bless or curse us
– and my dear it will be no common blessing or cursing
– it will be In the most divine gratitude or the keenest
execrations of the heart – As to what you mention of Leaving
our dear little pledge at Fairfield I am very certain you could
not be serious. – I know not what You will do for a servant
I think it must be difficult where you are, if possible I will
send you one by the return of Mrs. Green which I think cannot
be long – the Ladies tell dismal stories of your Living
– you did not go where you were told to – but there
were some of you who think you know more than you really do
– advice when it comes from Disinterested parties ought
to be followed – I am really afraid of one thing. Palfrey
tells me he has wrote for his Wife & she is at Fairfield
– take not her advice in the [3] present circumstances
of things it must be certain she wants to see her husband and
he wants to see her because she is a Woman – I don’t
mean to say that is solely the reason – besides Wm Palfrey
is in very different department from me – he must fly
& shall as Mrs Palfrey – they are at a distance from
where the action must commence – we are at advanc’d
post he is two miles in the rear – a peice of News. a
party of [struck: men] Artillery with 212 pounders last Thursday
morning shatter’d one of his majestys sloops or tenders
so much that the people quitted her – She mounted 14.
Guns mostly six pounders – it is reported the enemy have
since burnt her – we kill’d a few and wounded some
more – the enemy were so supriz’d they de[illegible]’d
very little spirit – we also have had another shooting
match at the ships as they come [text loss] narrows we like
to have killd [inserted: a] Capt [inserted: of one of] [text
loss] shot away his bed from under him and kill’d a number
of his people – write me my love as often as lays in Your
power and beleive me to have no other Earthly love but you
Henry Knox
Kiss and bless your babe for me –
remember me to Mrs P[illegible]
I live at the house – I don’t like Mrs. A.
I have turn’d Packard away – I think he must have
cheated you in his market account
most egregiously.
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Item Description and Credits
GLC02437.00363 Henry Knox to Lucy Knox New York,
New York. 1776/07/08. Autograph letter signed.
For more information or to obtain copies, contact Ana Ramirez-Luhrs at reference@gilderlehrman.com
or call (212) 787-6616 ext. 209.
Suggested Reading
Burrows, Edwin G. and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Callahan, North, Henry Knox: General Washington’s General. New York: A.S. Barnes
and Co., 1958.
Carp, E. Wayne. To Starve the Army at Pleasure: Continental Army Administration and
American Political Culture, 1775-1793. Chapel Hill, NC: The North Carolina University Press,
1984.
Cox, Caroline, A Proper Sense of Honor: Service and Sacrifice in George Washington’s
Army. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 2004.
Kwasny, Mark V., Washington’s Partisan War. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University
Press,
Middlekauff, Robert, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1789. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Royster, Charles, A Revolutionary People at War: The Continental Army and American
Character, 1775-1783. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press,
1979.
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