The Artilleryman Magazine

We are all set up at the Dalton Civil War show. We will be here until 5pm today and tomorrow 9am to 3pm. Stop by and see us.

250 years ago, Col. Henry Knox was in Albany, New York, attempting to purchase materials to move sixty tons of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga, New York to Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army in Boston, who were struggling to relieve the besieged city from the British army. The route ahead cut through dense forests, frozen lakes, wild rivers, and steep mountain passes that could only proceed with oxen and horses to pull massive hand-built sleds.
Henry had made arrangements with a Mr. Palmer for the supplies which were not yet delivered. A meeting was held between them and Gen. Philip Schuyler, commander of the "Northern Department” of the Continental Army, whose headquarters were in Albany. When they could not agree on a price, Palmer was dismissed and Gen. Schuyler sent his wagon master to all parts of the county to find the materials needed. The people of New York delivered.
Soon Henry wrote in his diary "The Waggen master Return'd the Names of persons in the different parts of the County who had gone up to the lake (George) with their horses in the whole amounting to near 124 pairs, with slays which I'm afraid are not Strong enough for the heavy Cannon if I can Judge from the sample Shewn me by Genl Schuyler." Unfortunately, just then the weather turned warm again. Henry wrote to his wife, Lucy "The thaw has been so grave that I've trembled for the consequences, for without snow my very important charge cannot get along."
By the time sleds were built, the weather had turned cold, and the convoy began its move onward in their 300-mile journey.

Knox did not stay in Ticonderoga long. Within 24 hours he selected 59 pieces of artillery, including brass and iron mortars, howitzers, and cannons, each ranging in weight from 100 lbs. to 5,000 lbs. That was the easy part. Now he had to figure out how he would bring this enormous weight of firepower 300 miles back to Boston in the dead of winter. It would prove to be a logistical challenge like no other: an astonishing feat of endurance, ingenuity, and sheer determination. Knox's expedition is often referred to as the “Noble Train of Artillery.”

Over the coming days, we’ll follow Knox and his team as the journey south begins.

Image Credit: Tom Lovell (American, 1909-1997), The Noble Train of Artillery, 1946.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwZnRzaAOVZKlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeMbV0CE04XaVAuwWYN7a12mCFAkB0AIzP3_0Yv9U-ElQUKH7iZ3_5E_6Moac_aem_J6b7BB9j5FHcansrl-wXzg&v=gSmYCdMLYDU&feature=youtu.be

Knox's Noble Train of Artillery - In Context - REAL TIME REVOLUTION® Who was Henry Knox and why was a 25 year old bookseller tasked by George Washington with transporting cannon from the Champlain Valley to Boston? In this vid...