Inside the Vault: Lucy Knox

During the siege of Boston in 1775, 19-year-old Lucy Knox gave up everything she knew and left Boston with her husband’s sword hidden in her clothes. She would never see her parents or siblings again. Lucy’s letters to her husband, Henry Knox, provide valuable eyewitness testimony to the experience of Americans during the Revolutionary War. In the March 4, 2021 program, 2006 Oregon History Teacher of the Year Lois MacMillan and Hamilton Broadway Company Manager Holli Campbell joined us as we examined Lucy’s letters and learned about her experiences with smallpox, the dangers of the war, and her divided family.

Click here to download the slides from the presentation.

Classroom-ready resources for the documents presented

• Lucy Knox to Hannah Urquhart, April 1777
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, April 13, 1777
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, May 1, 1777 
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, May 1777 
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, August 23, 1777 

Use the timestamps below to jump to the documents you want to view

• Lucy Knox to Hannah Urquhart, 1777: 4:57–15:17
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, April 13, 1777: 7:07–15:17
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, May 1, 1777 : 15:18–29:06
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, May 1777: 29:07–43:40
• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, August 23, 1777: 43:41–59:40

Additional Resources

• Lucy Knox to Henry Knox, January 1777
• Essay: “Dear Girl, how much I love you”: The Revolutionary War Letters of Henry and Lucy Knox
• Spotlight on Primary Source: Lucy Knox on the home front during the Revolutionary War, 1777
• Spotlight on Primary Source: A family torn apart by war, 1777