G1001

Great Americans

Henry Knox U. S. Secretary of War

Autumn 2019 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 20 G1001 — General Henry Knox — War for Independence — 7/25/85

During the Revolution when George Washington laid siege to Boston occupied by the British, he lacked the big guns necessary to maintain control. An unlikely hero, Knox, became one when he led an expedition to the captured Fort Ticonderoga by Lake Champlain. There in severe winter weather and deep snow, he accomplished the near impossible by transporting the captured British camion over steep, mountainous terrain to Washington's waiting army. This hand painted Collins has a special artistic appeal. A mounted Knox, with icy breath frozen in the morning air, watches his men and their oxen teams struggle up the snowy hills. In the distance, Fort Ti is barely visible against the white snow fields. A wonderful Ticonderoga, New York first day postmark (obtained only by Collins) gives great philatelic presence to this first day cover. This cachet even looks cold and is a remembrance for the unsung heroes of our War for Independence — General Knox and his hearty detachment of winter warriors who would not be denied.