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The Guns of Ticonderoga

by William T. Richardson

284 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); includes maps and black and white photography; catalogue #05-3059; ISBN 1-4120-8061-4; US$21.95, C$25.24, EUR18.03, £12.62

In the winter of 1775-76 two 13-year-old boys join their fathers in assisting Henry Knox in delivering 120,000 pounds of Fort Ticonderoga cannon to George Washington at Boston.

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About the Book

About the Author

Excerpts

About the Book

This is a fictional story, based on fact, of two l3 year old boys who join their fathers in assisting Henry Knox and the citizens of the frontier and the colonial militia in delivering Fort Ticonderoga cannon to George Washinglon and his troops in Boston. While the account of the boys' adventures enroute is fiction, they are representative of the type of experiences many young people had in growing up and assuming adult responsibilities while living on the frontier of early America.

In November 1775 George Washington and his militia had the British forces in Boston, MA blockaded from the mainland. The British did not have sufficient forces in Boston to break the blockade. Washington did not have sufficient heavy weapons (cannon and mortars) to force the British to leave Boston. It was a stalemate.

Henry Knox and his brother William volunteered to bring some of the heavy weapons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Washington agreed, and with the assistance provided by General Phillip Schuyler at Albany, NY the Knox expedition moved 120,000 pounds cannon and mortars across lakes, rivers, streams and mountains during the winter of 1775-76. When the weapons arrived, Washington placed them in a strategic location overlooking Boston and its harbor, thereby convincing the British in March 1776 to evacuate Boston. The result was that Boston and New England remained in the hands of the Americans throughout the Revolutionary War.

The success of the Knox expedition and its result for the outcome of the American Revolution is little known but deserves the attention provided here and elsewhere. This book is a good read for anyone who is interested in the contributions young citizens made to the success of the American Revolution.

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About the Author

Just in case you are curious about the man who wrote this book, let me tell you a little about myself. In case you are not curious, just skip the whole thing.

First, I'm old - yes, just a little shy of 78. I've lived a full life, with my share of adventures and misadventures, just like most people who have been around a long time. I am not going to bore you with the details. Suffice to say I've been an aerospace scientist, aviator, soldier, seaman, student, husband, father, son and all the usual joys and heartaches that go along with those roles. Throughout my life, starting way back when I began to read books, I've had an abiding interest in history, and especially U.S. history. This interest was stimulated by my uncle Joe. He himself was an avid reader and a student of history. So he told me stories of things he had read, and as I browsed through his collection of books I began to read about all of the interesting things that had gone on and how the United States had come to be.

As my life went on I began to encounter teachers who were students of history, and their interest and enthusiasm further stimulated my own interest in my country. I found plenty of stories that I enjoyed, and when I read about Henry Knox and his expedition to deliver the Fort Ticonderoga cannon to George Washington and the militia at Boston the story really grabbed my interest. I realized that none of my teachers had ever told me about the Knox expedition. And only later, when I had done more research on the subject, did I learn that boys like me had accompanied their fathers on the expedition. Then I knew that I would someday like to tell their story as I imagined it.

Having read this far, you are probably saying to youself "well, gee, it sure took you a long time to get around to it, what took you so long?" In truth it was the evil of procrastination. Let me warn you, that if you ever aspire to be a writer, that you are doomed to failure unless you can master that insidious tendency to put off until tomorrow that which should be done today!

But you may say, here I am holding this book, how did this old self-described procrastinator ever manage to write it? Again, I give you the truth: if it had not been for the aid and encouragement provided by my daughter Laura this book would never have been completed. So, if you have enjoyed this story, she deserves the credit.

Reviews

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"I found the book fascinating reading. The fictionalized account of the expedition is told from the points of view and experiences of two upper New York 13-year-old-boys, John and Ned, who accompanied their fathers and participated in the expedition from Lake Champlain, across the Berkshire Mountains to Boston. The author does an outstanding job of reconstructing and describing 1775-76 life and culture, eastern winter weather conditions, difficulty of travel, problems moving heavy equipment across land, mountains, rivers and streams, hardships encountered, diverse attitudes of colonists in 1775-76 toward the developing conflict with England, family life, and the hard life on the western frontier when it was just west of the Hudson River. He makes you feel you were there. He describes the boys' culture shock when they are first exposed to 'big city life' near Boston. There is also a love story that ends in tragedy. The book ends with the the emplacement of the cannon on Dorchester Heights, leading to the British withdrawing from Boston, never to return. This is regarded as an early turning point in the American Revolution. The British learned to not underestimate the resolve of a dertermined enemy such as the colonists. Richardson's book dramatically depicts such resolve."

G.L. Neal, PhD
Brevard County, North Carolina

"I finished your book and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the way that you so realistically described the many adventures of the boys, Johnny and Ned. It was so easy to close my eyes and picture the many scenes as you wrote them".

Fran Elliott, mother and grandmother
(Fran lives in upper New York state and has visited
both Fort Ticonderoga and Fort William Henry)

"I just finished your book this weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's sad to me that kids aren't encouraged constantly in school to read historical fiction, and of couse real history. A story like the one you wrote really brings alive such an important time in our history".

Susan Bertram
mother of three young children

"I finally finished it today-it was really great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It spoke to the 'kid in me' - The G of T is such an inspiring story that young people need to read to appreciate what others sacrificed to give them what they take for granted today".

Matt Tarker
senior citizen and Navy veteran

"It is the best book I have ever read".

Rory, age 15
an enthuastic reader

"My congatulations - Your style deserves to be shared with all the serious readers of the world".

Albert Chappell
senor citizen and veteran of the RAF

"We started reading it just after Christmas and could't put it down. Have you sold the film rights yet? - it would make a good one".

Brian and Vena Kennedy
citizens of Bristol, England

"The book is fantastic - I hope it is a great success."

Robin Fisher, a young woman

"It is a great story and you did a superb job painting each scene vividly. The characters came to life easily."

J.D. Simmons, a retired teacher

"Read your book and really enjoyed it. Glad you put the two boys in the story - they were the topping on the story (cake)".

Jack in San Diego
senior and an attorney

" Thank you very much for your excellent book - I really enjoyed it - and appreciate the research and effort. As an old New Yorker - knowing the area, I appreciate more than many".

Dr. Allan Orler
senior citizen and retired administrator
Air Force veteran

"Thank you for the book. I am really enjoying it"

Adrian, a 14 year-old boy in Ohio

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Excerpts

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