‘The eyes of America are upon us’: Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery arrives at Fort George

“It was a close race with winter. The winds blew a hurricane, and the ice was a constant peril. Yet, the excessive hard pushing by these loyal men has brought our three-boat flotilla bearing 60 tons of artillery safely to Fort George.” An 18th-century reenactor portraying Colonel Henry Knox read these words at the gates of Fort George in Battlefield Park on Friday afternoon, marking the completion of the first leg of Knox’s 1775-1776 journey to deliver armaments from Fort Ticonderoga to George Washington outside of Boston.

Several hundred gathered along Beach Road at the head of Lake George to witness the commemoration, one of a series of events planned along the Knox Trail on the 250^th anniversary of Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery.

The replica bateau, loaded with cannon, came into view along the eastern shore, firing cannon to herald their approach. They moved along a shoreline much changed since 1775, for in 2025, the bateau crew rowed past summer homes and Hall’s Boat Company. However, the icy wind blew this mid-December day as it had 250 years ago.

Lake Radio’s Walt Adams narrated the events, explaining the logistical importance of Fort George in Knox’s endeavor. Fort George served as a staging ground for the journey and made it possible for the Noble Train to deliver the artillery in time.

“Knox and his men,” Adams said, “spent eight or nine days at the fort arranging for 42 strong sleds and eight teams of oxen to haul the artillery once the snow was on the ground.

“Knox arrived in Cambridge on January 24th, 1776. On March 4th, General Washington had his troops fortify Dorchester Heights, which overlooks Boston, with the artillery Knox had brought. Upon seeing the artillery in Dorchester Heights the next morning, British General William Howe declared, ‘My God, these fellows have done more work in one night than I could have done with the entire army in three months.’

“On March 17th, the British Army evacuated Boston. In addition to contributing to America’s first major victory, Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery boosted America’s morale, established George Washington as a capable commander, and demonstrated the integrity and the determination of the Continental Army.”

At Friday’s commemoration, Knox was greeted on the snow-covered beach with fife and drum, played by members of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, and approximately two dozen 18th-century reenactors who carried the cannon up to Beach Road, where a team of draft horses hitched to an artillery sled waited to transport the artillery to Fort George.

At the Fort gates, Knox welcomed the pause in their journey at Fort George, “Though it may be small and out of repair,” for it offered the respite needed to prepare for the 300-mile trek that lay ahead. He concluded his speech, saying, “The eyes of all of America are upon us. What we do next will help to secure our freedom.”

The Commemoration was organized by the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance and the Warren County Commission for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution with the help of numerous public and private organizations and businesses.

Events will continue along the Knox Trail this weekend in Washington and Saratoga Counties and will continue through New York. In January, New York and Massachusetts officials will meet at the Hillsdale, New York – Alford, Massachusetts state line for a ceremonial hand-off of the artillery train.