Knox's Expedition to Boston | Dec 6, 1775 - Jan 25, 1776

In the winter of 1775–1776, Col. Henry Knox set out on an ambitious expedition to move captured artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Gen. George Washington had ordered the guns brought to Massachusetts, where the Continental Army remained locked in a stalemate with British forces occupying the city. Knox gathered a column of ox-drawn sleds and wagons to haul nearly sixty tons of cannon, mortars, and supplies.

The journey, later known as the “Noble Train of Artillery,” began in early December. Knox’s men struggled through deep snow, icy rivers, and rugged mountain passes as they inched southward through New York. Towns along the route supplied men, oxen, and provisions, making the mission a cooperative effort between soldiers and local communities. By crossing the frozen Hudson River and the Berkshires in midwinter, the column overcame obstacles that many considered impossible.

After nearly two months on the trail, Knox’s artillery train arrived outside Boston in late January 1776. Washington quickly ordered the guns emplaced on Dorchester Heights, high ground commanding both the city and its harbor. On March 17, faced with the prospect of bombardment, the British army evacuated Boston. The successful delivery of the artillery secured the first major American victory of the Revolutionary War and cemented Knox’s reputation as one of Washington’s most valuable officers.