Henry Knox

Was a bookseller in Boston and a witness to the Boston Massacre. He later rose to become general in charge of George Washington's artillery and became one of his most trusted aides. Nicknamed "Ox" both because of his size, six foot three, appx 280 pounds and because during the winter of 1776, he transported the British cannon captured at Fort Ticonderoga by oxcart back to Boston. During Washington's first engagement with the British, these cannons were strategically placed on Dorcester Heights. This placement forced General Howe to evacuate the city of Boston without a shot being fired.

At Yorktown, Knox commanded the artillery bombardment of General Cornwallis's and after the war served in Congress. After Washington was elected president, Knox became the country's first War Secretary