Birth of Henry Knox
Henry Knox was born on July 25, 1750, in Boston, Massachusetts.
After his father abandoned the family, Henry, the family’s oldest son, left school and took a job as a clerk in a bookstore. The shop’s owner, Nicholas Bowes, became a father figure to Knox. But Knox was also caught up in Boston’s street gangs, becoming one of his neighborhood’s best fighters. Then, one day he witnessed an impressive military demonstration and decided to join his local artillery company at age 18.