On this day in 1776 – Henry Knox returns from Fort Ticonderoga with 59 Cannons

With the Evacuation Day Parade (aka St. Patrick’s Day Parade) on the horizon, a quick history lesson via Irish Boston. 

On January 24, 1776, 25-year-old Boston bookseller and American revolutionary Henry Knox reported to General George Washington in Cambridge that he and his volunteers had just transported 59 cannons and artillery 300 miles, from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to eastern Massachusetts, in the dead of winter.  

The cannons would be placed and positioned at Dorchester Heights (right here in Southie) and aimed at the British fleet in Boston Harbor as part of the American Revolution!

When British General Howe saw the artillery at Dorchester Heights the British troops said “to hell with this,” and evacuated Boston on March 17th, ending the eleven-month Siege of Boston.

The daring standoff was known as Evacuation Day and is still celebrated via a parade on the Sunday closest to March 17th.  This year’s parade will take place on Sunday, March 19th at 1pm.  Stay tuned for the launch of our St. Patrick’s Day Guide!

You can read more about Henry Knox and his Irish heritage here! 

Image: A Noble Train of Artillery: The Knox Expedition by Salina B. Baker