13 October 1783

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Timothy Pickering

Signed "HK." Writes to Colonel Pickering about the transportation of wood. Mentions sending a regiment to Connecticut. Discusses the place where wood can be obtained with the greatest facility. There will be a regiment of men wintering at West Point so "[t]he roads shall be put into the best order for this purpose." Would like the wood to be transported by water as quickly as possible, since "[t]o put off this arrangement until the winter, and then to oblige the Men to hall it upon sleds, will be a herculean task, to which their strength will be fully unequal." Watermarked with three…

GLC02437.10167

18 October 1783

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Manuscript letter

Title: to Timothy Pickering

Informs Colonel Pickering there will be a sergeant and twelve men to cut wood for the department to send to Newbury and that "time grows more and more precious daily." Mentions that he has received complaints about soldiers cutting wood without permission and so he has "issued an order, that no wood be cut except at such places as shall be directed..." Noted as a copy in the bottom left hand corner. Watermarked with a crown.

GLC02437.10170

24 October 1783

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Timothy Pickering

Talks about the on-coming winter and the scarcity of wood. Asks Colonel Pickering if it is possible to increase the means of supply to the garrison. Has directed the 4th Massachusetts to occupy the huts as winter quarters. Watermarked with three fleur-de-lis inside a seal.

GLC02437.10174

5 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Warren

Relays information from George Washington that the Massachusetts Provincial Congress had promised Washington 300 teams (of pack animals) to carry artillery and stores to New York, but only 40 have been delivered. Asks Warren to use his influence with the committee to have the rest of the teams delivered expeditiously. Warren had previously served as president of the provincial assembly.

GLC02437.00268

24 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Writes that he curses "the man who first brought on this war only because it separates me from my Love." Mentions that he has received instructions from George Washington to inspect and fortify the local harbor in order to make it safe for Continental troops and the American navy (see GLC02437.00274). Comments on his meeting with Admiral Esek Hopkins and his son, John B. Hopkins, who was recently injured in a naval engagement with the British ship Glasgow. Gives a favorable impression of both, comparing Esek to the Dutch Admiral Van Tromp and proclaiming that John will become a "formidable…

GLC02437.00276

circa March 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Responds affectionately to a letter from Lucy asking what has become of him. Answers that he has not written because of how busy he has been (during the siege of Boston). Comments that the British are packing up and leaving Boston, and Knox expects to be in the town in 2-3 days, at which time he will also be able to visit her. He is uncertain where the British are going and in what state they will have left Boston, but states that "to New York my Dear Lucy [we] must prepare to follow them. As we are Citizens of the World any place will be our home & equally cheap." Copy.

GLC02437.00264

2 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph document signed

Title: [Receipt for Quarter Master David Bradley's pay from January to April 1776]

Certifies payment but does not mention the amount.

GLC02437.00266

12 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to unknown

Orders an officer to proceed to Norwich, Connecticut with powder and ammunition. Notes that the officer has a warrant to impress teams of animals if necessary. A note on the verso records numerical quantities of unnamed items being transferred from Cambridge, Massachusetts to various New England towns. Knox was then moving southward toward New York, planning coastal defenses against the British navy for Rhode Island and Connecticut in the process.

GLC02437.00271

18 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Explains that he has remained in Newport, Rhode Island, where a recent British naval attack had been fended off, to fulfill orders to help protect the town from additional attacks. He will depart for Norwich later in the day, where he hopes to stay with Lucy's cousin Fayerweather on a stop before arriving there. Closes affectionately, affirming his love for his wife and their new daughter Lucy. Knox was then moving southward toward New York, planning coastal defenses against the British navy for Rhode Island and Connecticut in the process.

GLC02437.00273

21 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Comments on a fatiguing two day, sixty-four mile journey from Newport, Rhode Island, to Norwich, Connecticut. Indicates that he will stay in Norwich until all the stores are embarked for New York. Mentions that he will make a trip to New London, Connecticut to "see the watery hero" Esek Hopkins, who Knox hopes "will one day command an american Navy up the river Thames." Asks Lucy to have his brother William Knox send a letter to a button maker about buttons for military uniforms. Longs to see his wife. Knox was then moving southward toward New York, planning coastal defenses against the…

GLC02437.00275

circa April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Manuscript document

Title: to Thomas Pierce

Brief account from Colonel Knox to Captain Pierce for money paid for blankets from February to April of 1776. Also notes cash received by Colonel William Burbeck and Major John Crane.

GLC02437.00277

26 April 1776 and 9 May 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph document

Title: [Invoice of pay for officers in Henry Knox's artillery regiment during the Revolutionary War]

The 26 April side lists partial pay for the months of February and March for six named captains in Knox's artillery regiment. The 9 May side is very brief and relates to artillery cost.

GLC02437.00279

29 March 1776 and 26 April 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Manuscript document

Title: An accou.tt of money paid to several named Captains In the Regiment of Artillery for the use of their Respective Companies

Lists money distributed to captains under Major John Crane in Knox's artillery regiment. Docket is in Knox's hand.

GLC02437.00280

6 July 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Describes meeting generals George Washington and Charles Lee, who begged him to return to Roxbury and expressed great pleasure in the fortifications Knox had supervised the construction of. Tells a story about how General Lee tried to get a letter to General John Burgoyne during the battle of Bunker Hill (17 June 1775), to ask him to use his "influence and endeavor to Heal this unnatural break." Criticizes and offers corrections to a widely published account of Bunker Hill by British General Thomas Gage that claimed only 170 redcoats were killed. The Revolutionary War…

GLC02437.00196

7 July 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Longs to see her, but must be of service to his country. Sends her copies of the addresses made in Congress and directed to generals George Washington and Charles Lee (not included).

GLC02437.00197

9 July 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Longs to see her and expects to the following week. Expresses esteem for generals George Washington and Charles Lee. Of Washington, he writes: "General Washington fills his place with vast ease and dignity & dispenses happiness all around him." Of Lee: "Genl Lee will become very popular soon." Reports that he is going to visit Washington this evening.

GLC02437.00198

11 July 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Comments affectionately about writing to Lucy often. Reports that he goes to Roxbury and Cambridge in the mornings and returns to Watertown in the evenings, offering support to Captain Michael Jackson's company. Plans to visit her soon, but feels he must provide his "oppressed Country an essential service." Mentions that General Charles Lee received word that General John Burgoyne wants to have a meeting, but Lee will not comply unless ordered by Congress. Praises the patriot's burning of "Browns House on Boston neck." Also praises George Washington, who took over the Continental Army in…

GLC02437.00199

10 August 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Lucy Knox

Affectionately laments their separation. Mentions that Generals George Washington and Charles Lee inquired about her. Comments on an encounter with navy prisoners. Discusses the "regulars" making a "fine prize" of 2000 sheep and 150 heads of cattle on Fishers Island, off Connecticut. Thinks he will see her Monday. The American Army got into a skirmish with British forces nearby at Plumb Island the day after this letter was written, the first reported clash between regulars in the Continental Army and the redcoats. Letter is dated Thursday morning 9 August 1775 but Thursday was actually…

GLC02437.00200

25 September 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William Knox

Mentions making daily excursions to Cambridge. Reports that General Charles Lee said William could easily get a commission, and Knox will discuss it further with George Washington and Horatio Gates. Knox wants William to join the artillery. Discusses the British troops' ineffectual cannon shot against the American works at Roxbury on 23 September 1775. Asks William to send one of the Watertown newspapers to Edward Parry, Esq. Some of the text on the original is faded.

GLC02437.00203

25 September 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Manuscript letter

Title: to William Knox

Later copy of original letter (see GLC02437.00203).

GLC02437.00204

27 September 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William Knox

Docket is written in another hand. Attempts to facilitate the sale of a stallion. Briefly mentions that two deserters will have to face the lash.

GLC02437.00205

2 October 1775

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William Knox

Seeks a response to an earlier inquiry about finding a strong horse for an acquaintance (see GLC02437.00205). Indicates that he will leave for Newbury today and hopes for better luck collecting monies there. Asks William to entertain a man named Mr. Davis "in the best manner the house can afford." Notes that he received the letter from James Rivington William forwarded. Claims that he plans to get William a commission before returning to Worcester (see GLC02437.00203). Lucy Knox was staying in Worcester.

GLC02437.00206

5 January 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter

Title: to Lucy Knox

Laments not being able to return to Lucy when he had hoped to. Praises Lucy at length and reaffirms his love for her. Notes that this is only the fourth letter he has been able to write to her in the two months they have been apart, and explains why his letter of 5 December 1775 was so short (see GLC02437.00215). Comments on the weather and the lack of snow, which impeded his plans to transport artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mentions that his brother William Knox is now at Lake George preparing the sleds for…

GLC02437.00237

5 January 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to George Washington

Explains delays in transporting the artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge, Massachusetts caused by the lack of snow on the ground and ice on the Hudson River. He realizes the importance of the transport and explains plans for moving forward. Also mentions that he has sent another list of the artillery being moved (not included). Knox's retained draft.

GLC02437.00238

January 25, 1776

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Charles Lee

Gives General Lee additional specifics on the artillery ordered from New York City and being sent to Cambridge, Massachusetts, which George Washington has already written Lee about. He sent a list of items sent by the Second Provincial Congress or Committee of Safety in New York (not included). Explains plans for their transport. Notes that even though Knox has retrieved artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga, the pieces from New York are badly needed. Knox also discusses his efforts to obtain artillery from New York City in GLC02437.00212, GLC02437.00220, and GLC02437.00222.

GLC02437.00245