On this day in 1776, a weary (then) Colonel Henry Knox and his band of men arrived at the headquarters of the Continental Army in Cambridge. It was the conclusion of a daring 300-mile trip from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to deliver 60 tons of artillery in the fight against the British.
With few roads along the way, it was a brutal journey over snow and ice, across lakes, rivers, and mountains.
Near the end of the journey, Knox and his men made a stop in Southborough. Here’s a retelling of the event from Richard Noble’s Fences of Stone
They were moving slowly by this point, but sure and steady nonetheless, as Boston was within their grasp after so many miles over ice and through heavy snow. At Southborough, villagers pressed steaming mugs of mulled cider and hot rum on the tired soldiers, and Nathan Stone blessed them in their endeavors.
The artillery Knox delivered eventually helped run the British out of Boston. A stone marker in front of the Community House commemorates Knox’s visit. You can read more about Knox’s journey on the Mass Moments website.
Many thanks to Donna McDaniel for passing along this info.
(Photo by Bill Coughlin via the Historical Marker Database)
