USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Walks & talks about historic Boston > Part 22
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which was quickly reinforced, he slowly fell back while the enemy followed with a shout until they came within thirty vards of the point where Reed's regiment lay concealed. The latter then rose and poured a volley into the British ranks, forcing them back in confusion until their main force appeared, some 4000 men with artillery.
Under the cover of their guns the British advanced again and the Americans after exchanging several rounds were forced to retire, first to Shepperd's position, where a sharp fight was maintained, the men firing by divisions, and then keeping up a constant fire, and then to Baldwin's, finally re- treating to the hill, where the British, with all their superior numbers did not dare to atack and contented themselves with a desultory fire. At dark Glover withdrew his men and marched about three miles to Dobb's Ferry near the main body. "After fighting all day without victuals or drink, lay- ing as a picket all night, the heavens over us and the earth under us, which was all we had, having left our baggage at the old encampment in the morning." Although forced to withdraw finally, Colonel Glover had, by his stubborn stand, served materially to check the British advance and it has been said "that he had thereby the honor of being the first to resist the landing of a British army on the mainland of America."
'The following day General Lee sent his warmest thanks to Colonel Glover and the brigade under his command "not only for their gallant behavior yesterday, but for their prudent, cool, orderly and soldier-like conduct in all re- spects." From Washington also came thanks and com- mendation. December 19. 1776, Thomas Paine considered the blackest moment of the American Revolution, and said in the Pennsylvania Journal : "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands now deserves the thanks of man or woman." There were continual disasters to the American arms. After the battle of White Plains, Washington abandoned the entire island of New York and Fort Wash- ington on the Hudson commanded by General Greene had been taken and with it 3000 American troops. Washing- ton's army at this time was but a "forlorn hope" and he saw it gradually melting away. He was driven down the west side of the Hudson and across New Jersey, and the
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enemy within a day's march ready to attack and capture him. In the last week of December his army was strengthened by reinforcements of Pennsylvanians, and now in his camp on the Pennsylvania side of the river he was planning how to wrest a victory from the enemy and thus check his advances.
"In his army was Colonel Glover with his brigade, in- cluding his own regiment. the brave and devoted webfeet of Marblehead. He had fought bravely against McDougal at Chatterton Hill and had maintained a stubborn defence against an enemy of greatly superior numbers. Later he had been stationed at North Castle with Lee's army and when Lee was captured he had marched under Sullivan to rejoin Washington on the Delaware. Washington's army at this time did not number over 6000 men and were scat- tered for 30 miles along the river." The New England reg- iments were so poorly provided with blankets and camp equipage and such meagre stores of every kind that it was necessary to send men about the country to buy and beg old clothing and blankets for the freezing men." It was with these men that Washington planned to make what will ever be known as one of the most daring and success- ful coups in history. On the opposite side of the river from his lines was Trenton and here were stationed three regiments of Hessians with a detachment of artillery un- der the general command of Colonel Rahl. There were no intrenchments and the guards were careless. The Ger- mans, true to their traditions and customs of "fatherland" were holding high carnival on Christmas Day, and, confi- dent of their own military strength, they never thought of any trouble from the "farmers" across the river. Wash- ington knew this. If he could strike a blow at such a time and inflict a defeat upon the enemy it would restore the lost morale to his army and inspire the country with new hope and courage. A council of officers was held a few days previous to the proposed attack and Washington un- folded his plans. The great difficulty was in crossing the river. It is related that Colonel Glover, who was one of the Council, said: "You need not be troubled about that, General, my boys can arrange it." The time chosen for the attack was Christmas night, when it was thought the Hes- sian debauch would be at its height and they would fall an easy prey in a sudden and unexpected attack. As in the
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case of the retreat from Long Island, a large number of boats were collected and stationed at different points along the river bank as it was proposed to cross in three places. Washington, with the main army, 2000 strong. was to make the direct attack. Early Christmas morning the final or- ders were given and by 3 o'clock in the afternoon all the troops ordered on the expedition were in motion toward the river. There was a little snow on the ground and
Glorer's Headquarters at Cambridge.
Major Wilkinson says : "the route of the poor soldiers was easily traced for the snow was, here and there, tinged with blood from the feet of the men who wore broken shoes."
On Christmas Day, the river was full of floating ice, there was a swift current and the weather was very bleak and cold. In the boats waiting for the troops, were the brave Marbleheaders, the much ridiculed "Webfeet," but already famous as the heroes of Long Island, and who were now to win still greater laurels by making victory possible for the great Comander-in-Chief." General Washington stood on the brink of the river watching the boats as they rushed into the current. At his side was Colonel Henry Knox. of Boston, Chief Artillery Officer, whose stentorian voice made the Commander's orders clearly understood
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Washington Crossing the Delaware
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across the stream. And the men of Marblehead, clad in their serviceable but well-worn unforms of blue jackets and leather buttoned trousers, bent to their oars and time after time ferried the boats across the river." Washington plannd to complete the crossing by midnight, but so violent was the weather that it was four o'clock in the morning of the 26th before the last man was across and the army ready to march. It was only expert boatmen who could have han- dled those boats in such a current with the masses of ice striking against them. The crossing was made more diffi- cult by a snow storm of mingled snow and hail which set in towards morning. An eye witness said of the scene : "It was as severe a night as I ever saw, the frost was sharp, the current difficult to stem, the ice increasing, the wind high, and at eleven o'clock it began to snow. It was only with the greatest care and labor that the horses and artillery could be ferried across the river. Two brave men were frozen to death and a third would have perished had not his benumbed body been found in time. The march from the ferry to the village was cold and cheerless. It is told that on the way, Captain John Glover, a son of the Colonel, finding that the snow and sleet had rendered the muskets useless. reported the fact to General Sullivan. "Well, boys," he replied, "we must fight them with the bayonet." Washington sent a like reply. "Tell the General to use the bayonet and penetrate into the town, for the town must be taken and I am resolved to take it." The town was taken. The surprise was complete and wholly successful. The Hessians, roused from their heavy slumbers, were attacked before they could make adequate preparations for defence, their own cannon trained on them, and their regiments broken up and captured. Colonel Glover and his men, tired as they were from the long and arduous night's work, dis- tinguished themselves no less in the battle than at the cross- ing. "Years afterwards in a speech before the Massachu- setts Legislature, General Knox eulogized General Glover and his men for their work of that night. "There," he said in conclusion, "went the fishermen of Marblehead. alike at home upon land or water, alike ardent, patriotic and tin- flinching; whenever they unfurled the flag of their country." On the battle monument commemorating this brilliant stroke of Washington is a statue of one of the men of Glover's Marblehead regiment, gun in hand, as he appeared
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in that famous fight. Historians all agree that this battle turned the crisis of the Revolution and saved the fortunes of the Nation, and to the brave Marbleheaders, led by their intrepid Colonel John Glover, the honor is largely due. Al- though he had notably distinguished himself wherever he had been placed, and had on several important occasions commanded a brigade, it was not until February 1777, that Congress appointed him a Brigadier-General. His modesty and his regard for the welfare of his family led him to de- cline it. He had sacrificed much of his property in his sud- den departure from home, and his long absence from home made it difficult to find the means of support of his wife and eight children. Washington feared to lose the services of this brave and capable officer, who, on more than one occasion, had saved the fortunes of the Army and the Na- tion, and he urged Glover to accept the appointment and remain in the service. He wrote Glover : "I put your name down in the list of those whom I thought proper for the command and whom I wish to see preferred. I think I may tell you, without flattery that I know of no man better qual- ified than you to command a brigade. You have activity, energy, and as you very well know the duties of a Colonel. you know how to exact that duty from others."
Glover yielded to Washington's request and went to Peeks- kill to rejoin his brigade. He found them in a shocking con- dition, "without coats, breeches, stockings or shoes, many of them having nothing but a frock and blanket to cover their nakedness." Two regiments had no tents. Burgoyne and his allies were near Saratoga and in July, Glover received or- ders to go with his brigade to reinforce Schuyler, who was being hardly pressed by the enemy. The woods on the way swarmed with Indians, and many of the scouting parties were cut off, killed, scalped, and taken prisoners, at least 250 or 300 within two days. In the battle of Bemis Heights, Sep- tember 19th, Glover's brigade made a part of the American right wing, and "in one continual blaze" helped to hold the hills near the river against all British attacks. In the second battle of October 7th the Marblehead regiment took a most prominent part, the rest of the brigade being held in re- serve. "Again and again they broke through the British lines, captured their artillery, and by a determined bayonet charge and a desperate hand to hand fight broke the camp itself. Glover, himself had three horses shot from under
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him that day, but escaped without wound, but many of his brave men were less fortunate. Even the stolid Hessians expressed their amazement when they saw those brave Marbleheaders dash through the fire of grape and cannister, over the dead bodies of their comrades, through the em- brasures, over the cannon with the same agility with which they had frequently climbed to the main top, bayonetting the cannoniers at their posts. "Glover's troops evinced the coolness and agility of sailors in their attack, and showed that they could use the bayonet with as much skill and effect as the 'marlin' or 'handspike' aboard ship. General Gates pursued the discomfited British to Saratoga, and believing that Burgoyne had removed the main body of his army to Fort Edward, he ordered an attack on the camp as he thought, of the rear guard of the British army. Gen- erals Nixon and Glover were in the advance, and the former was already across Saratoga Creek when Glover learned from a captured British soldier, that Burgoyne's whole army, instead of retreating, was drawn up under cover of the woods across the creek, supported by artillery.
"Quickly grasping the situation, General Glover immedi- ately sent to recall Nixon, though the latter was his supe- rior, saving him from destruction and the American army from great loss, thereby hastening Burgoyne's surrender which was made a few days later. General Glover had the honor of guarding and conducting the army of prisoners to their destination at Cambridge, and in the task he showed that his tact and fairmindedness were no less than his energy and his courage. On November 7, he delivered his prisoners on the very grounds where two years before he and his "webfoot" regiment had first appeared in the Con- tinental service. General Glover's health at this time began to fail and his family were almost in want, and but for his loyalty to the patriot cause he would gladly have resigned. In August 1778 he raised volunteers from Boston and Mar- blehead and he joined in the attack on Newport under General Sullivan, after the departure of the French fleet and the destruction of half of the army in the hot and successful battle of Botts Hill. The following night the Americans. finding their position no longer tenable, General Glover and his Marbleheaders were once again in their boats. and transferred the whole American force from Rhode Island to the mainland at Tiverton, without the loss of a man. His
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wife died in November, and in February following he was granted a furlough to settle his affairs.
The John Glover statue on Commonwealth Avenue is by Martin Millmore and was given to the City of Boston by Benjamin Tyler Reed in 1875. It is of bronze, of heroic size, and represents the sturdy old soldier in Continental uniform, with the heavy overcoat hanging in graceful folds from his shoulders. His left leg is advanced with the foot resting on a cannon, and in his right hand he holds a sword, the point resting on the ground, while the empty scabbard is grasped in his left. The inscription is as follows :
JOHN GLOVER of Marblehead A Soldier of the Revolution
He commanded a regiment of one thousand men raised in that town, known as the Marine Regiment And enlisted to serve through the war. He joined the camp at Cambridge June 22d 1775 And rendered distinguished service in transporting the Army from Brooklyn to New York August 29th, 1776
and across the Delaware December 25th, 1776 He was appointed by the Continental Congress, a Brigadier General on February 27, 1777
By his Courage, Energy, Military Talents he secured the confidence of Washington and the gratitude of his country. Born November 5, 1732 Died at Marblehead January 3, 1797.
Later he had command of the Department of Providence and was also stationed at Ridgefield and Peekskill. His ill health still continued. During the years 1780 and 1781 he was, for most of the time with his brigade at West Point and was a member of the military court which sentenced Major Andre. After the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown he received his last commission to take charge of mustering and furnishing of troops from Masachusetts. In the spring of 1782 he wrote to Washington: "Instead of growing better I find myself much weaker, my whole frame being exceedingly shattered and debilitated and my nervous system so much weakened that were I to gain a kingdom I could not make a journey of 20 miles." July 23, 1782 he was retired on half pay by Congress and went home to Mar- blehead to his motherless children.
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He had put himself and his fortune into the Revolution and now that his vitality was nearly exhausted and his for- tune absorbed, he did not complain. "His youth was gone, and he had no capital, so he partitioned off a corner of his sitting room for a workshop and made and cobbled shoes for a living."
His fellow townsmen who loved and respected him and had watched with pride his career in the Army did not for- get him now. They made him Selectman of the town and twice elected him Representative to the Massachusetts Leg- islature. In 1788, with his brother Jonathan and his old friend Ager Order he was sent to the State Convention to vote for the adoption of the Federal Constitution. He died January 30. 1797 in his 65th year. Outside of his town of Marblehead, his death was hardly noted by the country for whom he fought so bravely and to whose interest he had devoted his life and fortune.
General Henry Knox
General Denry Knox Bookseller, Patriot, General and Secretary of War
As in the case of General John Glover, so General Henry Knox has not received in general histories the meed of honor due his ability, his gallantry and patriotism. By his character and solid merit he rose in rank, step by step, win- ning the confidence and friendship of Washington to an unusual degree. He was an able' and fearless general, a great Secretary of War at a critical period in our history, and his declining years were spent as a model citizen of the country he helped to make and which he dearly loved. His was such a human, strong and sound life story that all Americans may well be proud of him. Washington Irving says of General Knox: "He was one of those providential characters which spring up in emergencies as if formed by and for the occasion."
He threw up a thriving business to take up arms for the liberties of his country. The aptness and talent displayed by him as an artillery officer induced Washington to rec- ommend him to Congress for the command of the regiment of artillery, in place of the veteran Gridley who was con- sidered by all the officers of the camp too old for active engagement.
Hon. James Sullivan, in his book, "Familiar Letters on Public Characters" gives quite a minute account of the en- gaging character of the man Knox, who within his manly frame, had a woman's heart and tenderness. It is generally conceded that he came of Scotch origin. His father, Will- iam Knox, was one of a company of immigrants under the spiritual leadership of Rev. John Muirhead, who in 1729 sailed from Belfast, Ireland, to Boston, to found a religious society, which later became the Federal Street Church. In 1735 William Knox married Mary Campbell, whose father was a member of the congregation. Henry Knox was the seventh of their ten sons, four of whom reached manhood. and two of these were lost at sea in 1769.
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William Knox was a shipmaster, and it is evident that for a time at least he was prospered in his calling as he owned not only a large and comfortable dwelling but also a wharf nearby. In this house, located near the corner of Federal and Summer Streets, Henry Knox was born in 1750, and here he lived until he was eight years of age. The house, although somewhat changed in appearance stood un- til 1872 when, like many other old landmarks, it went down
Birthplace of General Knox
in that whirlwind of flame that swept the business district of Boston. Financial reverses overtook William Knox and he was compelled to sell his home. In 1759 he sailed for St. Eustatia, West Indies, where he was reported to have been born, evidently intending to take his family there later, but he died suddenly in 1762, leaving his family but very little property. At that time Henry had nearly completed his grammar school course and in all probability would have gone to the Latin School on School Street, where the Adamses and Hancocks had graduated, but he was com- pelled at this early age to contribute his part toward the support of the family, and this ended his schooling. As an apprentice he entered the book store of Wharton & Bowes who were located on the south corner of State and Wash-
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ington Streets. While he may have had no choice in the matter, it is evident that the occupation proved a very con- genial and happy one for him. His employer, Mr. Nicholas Bowes, was a very excellent gentleman and was like a father to the lad. "The books offered to his active and in- quisitive mind the education that he sought. Every spare moment in the shop he filled with reading, to what good effect, subsequent correspondence, both official and per- sonal, clearly shows. In addition he acquired an excellent knowledge of French, and later on this proved an asset of great value to him. One of his favorite authors was Plu- tarch, in whose pages, full of generals and heroes, he may well have gained his first taste of a military career. While he had a highly intellectual nature, he was a strong and imposing figure physically, tall and commanding and fond of athletic sports. He was the champion. of the South End faction, leading their forces in the mimic combats, with the boys of the North End, who were often headed by Paul Revere." On the night of the
BOSTON MASSACRE
March 5, 1770, young Knox arrived on the scene of action, while on his way home from a visit to some friends in Charlestown. He had great influence with the people and went among them exerting himself to the utmost to pre- serve peace. He urged the excited crowd not to rush upon the soldiers, and seizing Captain Preston by the coat he im- plored him not to let his men fire, but a blow was struck, then followed a shot and more firing. The crowd fled, but left behind them three men dead, and eight wounded, two of them, mortally. The scenes he witnessed that night made him an ardent patriot, ready to offer his services when the inevitable conflict came five years later. In the "Boston Ga- zette," July 29th, 1771, the following notice appeared.
"This day is opened a new London Book Store by Henry Knox, opposite Williams Court on Cornhill ( Washington Street ) Boston, who has just imported on the last ships from London, a large and very elegant assortment of books, the most modern books in all branches of Literature, Arts and Sciences (catalogues of which will be published soon) and to be sold as cheap as can be bought at any place in town. Also a complete assortment of Stationery."
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He had spent nine years as an apprentice with Wharton & Bowes, and at the early age of 21 he entered into business on his own account, notwithstanding the threatening aspect of political affairs. General Henry Burbeck, a contemporary friend of Henry Knox, says the store "was a great resort for the British ocers and Tory ladies, who were the '400' of that period." And Harrison Gray Otis, another friend, says : "It was a store of great display and great attraction for young and old, and a fashionable morning lounge." Here the literary and wealthy people of the town could meet for a morning chat, exchange bits of gossip, discuss political mat- ters, read the papers, buy the latest book, or any article carried under the elastic name of stationery. Records show that he did considerable business for those days, as he bought in ten months, of a single London printer, books to the value of £2066. These were books on law, medicine and theology, among the latter, a large number of "Baxter's Saints Rest." Works of fiction by Richardson and Fielding and Sterne, and from Rivington, the Tory printer of New York, he received many copies of De Foe's "Robinson Crusoe." When the non-importation agreement went into force in 1776, the traffic in English books ceased, and then there was a demand for American.
At the age of 18, Knox joined the Artillery Company, known as "The Train," composed largely of South End mechanics and shopkeepers, under command of Major Pad- dock, a most efficient drill master, and the Patriot Army in the Revolutionary War owed much to the training of this doughty old Tory. Knox in 1772 was one of the founders of the "Boston Grenadier Corps," an offshoot of the Artillery Company. They were all tall men, not one being under 5 feet 10 inches in height. Their handsome uniforms and fine military bearing elicited praise even from British officers. Henry Knox was second in command, and his splendid fig- ure in uniform, won him many admiring glances from the ladies whenever the Company drilled on the Common. One young lady, Miss Lucy Flucker, was especially attracted by the handsome young officer, and the result proved that he was not insensible to her charms. She was the daughter of Thomas Flucker, the Royal Secretary of the Province, who is described as "a high toned loyalist, of great family pre- tensions," and possessing much wealth and influence. Harrison Gray Otis writes of Miss Flucker that she "was
Walks and Talks About Historic Boston. 303 1 distinguished as a young lady of high intellectual endow- ments, very fond of books, especially of the books sold by Knox, to whose shelves she had frequent recourse, and so while orators roared and ministers caused unwise laws to be passed, and the day of battles drew nearer, the daughter of the Tory official and the rebel shopkeeper quietly carried on their courtship among the books." The old Tory, proud of his Huguenot ancestry and of his lofty position and influ- ence, looked with great disfavor upon the suit of Knox and "they pleaded earnestly with the stubborn Lucy, urging her to give up her crazy fancies. But though only 18 years old. the young lady had a will of her own, and she was very much in love, as was Knox also. So in the end to avoid the scandal of an elopement, the family gave a grudging con- sent, and June 16, 1774, the two were married. Every hour the war was drawing nearer, but for 10 months Knox re- mained in Boston and carried on his business. He was of- fered great inducements to take service in the Royal cause, but he not only declined all such offers, but openly asserted his patriotic sympathies.
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