Henry Knox

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Henry Knox

United States general

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 • Article History

Constantino Brumidi: Henry Knox

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Category: History & Society

Born:: July 25, 1750, Boston, Massachusetts [U.S.]

Died:: October 25, 1806, Thomaston, Maine, U.S. (aged 56)

Role In:: American Revolution; Battle of Monmouth; Siege of Yorktown

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Henry Knox (born July 25, 1750, Boston, Massachusetts [U.S.]—died October 25, 1806, Thomaston, Maine, U.S.) was an American general in the American Revolution (1775–83) and the first secretary of war under the U.S. Constitution. Forced by family circumstances to leave school at age nine, Knox worked in a Boston bookstore and by age 21 had acquired his own store. He became active in the colonial militia and in 1775 joined the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was commissioned a colonel and placed in charge of the artillery. During the winter of 1775–76 General George Washington sent him to Fort ...(100 of 248 words)

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