Edward Garboczi
Tag: Book Review
What does the power of reading books have to do with the American Revolution? Short answer – a lot! Many of the figures prominent in the Revolution, in the writing of the Constitution, and in the formation of the Republic were self-educated, obtaining their learning through the reading of good books. Amateur autodidacts, which is a fancy name for self-educated, defeated a global empire and set up a government that has maintained, simultaneously, the rule of law and individual freedom for a quarter of a millenium.
Guns for General Washington, by Seymour Reit, is an exciting historical novel that tells the story of one such man, Henry Knox, through the eyes of his younger brother Will. In 1775, war had broken out between the American colonists and the British Empire. Fort Ticonderoga in New York had been captured by Ethan Allen (a larger-than-life figure worth reading about) from the British garrison. But Boston, the center of the early rebellion, had been captured by the British. It was under siege by an American army that had sprung up around Boston and was commanded by newly-appointed General George Washington.
Artillery was typically used to threaten a town and force it to submit, but the Americans had few cannon. Then Henry Knox, a Boston bookstore owner, came along. His hobby, in between serving customers, had been studying books about artillery. He proposed to Washington that he go to the captured Fort Ticonderoga, in the middle of winter, and bring back the fort’s cannons to use to threaten the British. Guns for General Washington re-creates this incredible accomplishment, made possible by one man’s knowledge gained from reading books along with his unswerving leadership and determination.
The massive cannons were brought hundreds of miles through the snow and emplaced secretly overnight around Boston. Their threat was enough to drive the British troops out of Boston, freeing the town, which remained free for the rest of the war. Henry Knox became the general in charge of artillery for the American army for the rest of the war and played a key role in the eventual victory. His story is an inspiring one, and he is still remembered today, though most people don’t know the connection – did you ever hear of Knoxville, Tennessee, or Fort Knox, where all the United States’ gold is stored?