What is the Knox Trail?

The Henry Knox Trail, also known as the Knox Cannon Trail, is a network of roads and paths that traces the route of Colonel Henry Knox's "noble train of artillery" from Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army camp outside Boston, Massachusetts early in the American Revolutionary War.

Knox was commissioned by Continental Army commander George Washington in 1775 to transport cannons from captured Fort Ticonderoga to the army camp outside Boston to aid the war effort there against British forces. They included forty-three heavy brass and iron cannons, six cohorns, eight mortars, and two howitzers. Knox, using sledges pulled by teams of oxen to haul these cannons, many weighing over a ton, crossed an icy Lake George in mid-winter. He proceeded to travel through rural New York and the snow-covered Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, finally arriving to the aid of the beleaguered Continental Army in January 1776.

Marker placement
In 1926, the 150th anniversary of Knox's march, the states of New York and Massachusetts both began installing commemorative plaques at 56 locations in towns and areas in the two states that trace the route the expedition passed through. The exact nature of the collaboration between the two states is unclear, however the work was completed in 1927. In 1975, the marker locations between Kinderhook, New York and Alford, Massachusetts were updated when research found Knox did not pass through Claverack, New York. A new marker was added to the trail at Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston in 2009, adjacent to a house owned by General John Thomas, who guided the cannons received from Knox to their final placement on Dorchester Heights outside Boston.



From the Saratogan: A stroll back in time: Knox Trail walk to benefit New York State Military Museum, other historic sites in the region
TICONDEROGA — A walk retracing the Knox Trail from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston will raise money for the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs and three other beneficiaries.

In the dead of winter, 1775-1776, Colonel Henry Knox with a team of men and oxen hauled more than 50 tons of cannons and other arms from the upstate New York fort to Boston’s Dorchester Heights.

The threat of these cannons firing on British ships in Boston Harbor forced the British to evacuate Boston, a major victory for the fledgling Continental Army.

In 1926, New York and Massachusetts began installing commemorative markers that traced the so-called "Knox Trail" at locations in both states.

Next April, editors at Patriots of the American Revolution magazine will walk the entire route to honor Knox, promote the Knox trail and raise money for museums and parks related to Knox and the Knox Trail.

"The commemoration of Knox’s extraordinary feat next April is an excellent opportunity to focus public attention on the important role our region had in the founding of the country," said Michael Aikey, the military museum’s director.

The walk will also raise money for Fort Ticonderoga, Boston National Historical Park and Montpelier, the General Henry Knox Museum in Thormaston, Maine. Knox, a colonel at the time of his famous winter expedition, was later promoted to major general. Continued...

The walk will start in Ticonderoga on Friday, April 6, 2012 and head south along Lake George to Glens Falls. From there the trail goes along the Hudson River, in Saratoga County, passing through Saratoga National Historical Park en route to Halfmoon, Albany and Kinderhook, Columbia County, where it veers east to Massachusetts. The party is scheduled to arrive in Boston on April 18.

Along the way, magazine Managing Editor Ben Smith and copy editor Alex Culpepper will take photos of various markers along the trail and document their trip for in-depth articles that will appear in Patriots of the American Revolution magazine.

"We welcome people to join us for sections of the trail," Smith said.

Five monuments dedicated to Knox’s ordeal are found in the Lake George region alone at Fort Ticonderoga, Sabbath Day Point, Bolton Landing, Lake George and Queensbury. Each monument has a plaque telling how Knox delivered armaments to General George Washington, prompting the British to flee Boston.

Donations obtained from corporations and individuals will be collected by the American Revolution Association and distributed directly and equally to the four beneficiaries.

The magazine and American Revolution Association will get no money.

There are different levels of sponsorship. They are:

• Mortar ($50 contribution) — Knox Trail Honor Walk coffee mug; Copy of the July/August 2012 Patriots of the American Revolution; name published in the magazine’s July/August 2012 sponsor list.

• Howitzer ($100 contribution) — Copy of the book, "Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution," by Mark Puls; copy of the July/August 2012 Patriots of the American Revolution; name published in the magazine’s July/ August 2012 sponsor list.

• Bronze Cannon ($500 contribution) — 3-disc DVD series: "Liberty! The American Revolution," copy of "Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution," by Mark Puls; copy of the July/August 2012 Patriots of the American Revolution; name published in the magazine’s July/ August 2012 sponsor list. Continued...

• Iron Cannon (corporate sponsor: $1000 contribution) — Commemorative Knox Trail Honor Walk plaque; multiple copies of the July/August 2012 Patriots of the American Revolution; company name published in the magazine’s July/August 2012 sponsor list.

To donate, people may send checks payable to the American Revolution Association to Knox Trail Honor Walk, P.O. Box 838, Yellow Springs, OH 45387.

Donations received by corporations and private individuals will be collected by the American Revolution Association and distributed directly and equally to the following four museums and parks:

--Fort Ticonderoga (fortticonderoga.org)
--New York State Military Museum (dmna.state.ny.us/historic/mil-hist.htm)
--Boston National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm)
--Montpelier, The General Henry Knox Museum (www.generalknoxmuseum.org)

Patriots of the American Revolution and the American Revolution Association will keep none of the donations.

For information about the Knox Trail Honor Walk call 937-767-1433 or email Vicki McClellan at promotions@patriotsar.com. For more information about Patriots of the American Revolution Magazine and the American Revolution Association, visit www.patriotsar.com.