Henry Knox was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1750. At the age of 18 he joined the militia in the colonies. He became a Major General in the Continental and fought in almost every major battle of the Revolutionary War. He was a close friend to George Washington and often gave him advice.

In January of 1776, General George Washington sent Colonel Henry Knox to bring back the cannons and mortars captured by the Continental Army at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. He was just 25 years old. He loved to read and owned a bookstore where he read all the books on military science. Henry Knox loved guns and was the perfect person for the job.

Bringing the artillery from Lake Champlain in the middle of winter wasn't easy. There were about 50 large cannons. Henry Knox had big sleds made especially for this job and found 80 teams of oxen to pull the sleds. When he reached Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts, there were snow drifts that the oxen could not get through. Henry Knox found horses, then, to help pull the sleds through the drifts.

Henry Knox arrived with all the artillery in February and was praised for his deed. Later in the war, in appreciation for this task, General Washington gave him command of all the Continental artillery.

Henry Knox became the Secretary of War in 1785 and was paid $2,450 a year. He served as Secretary of War during all of Washington's Presidency.

He died in 1806 at the age of 56.