Guns for General Washington by Seymour Reit Page A

vehicles. He kept watching longingly, until a bend in the trail hid the convoy from view.
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    Next morning, with new drivers and fresh oxen, the caravan pushed on through the thick mud. It was a long run to the next stop, the town of Worcester, but they made it at last and rested overnight.
    Then at daybreak—like so many other day-breaks—Henry roused the men and led his convoy on to Framingham. They were now a mere twenty miles from Cambridge—and it suddenly dawned on Will that the journey was almost over. They really
had
done the impossible. The young man was elated, but Henry refused to relax. “We’re not finished,” he said. “I’ll only rest easy when every gun is in place.”
    John Adams, a member of the Continental Congress (later to become the second president of the United States), was staying near Framingham. With his friend Elbridge Gerry, he hurried to town to inspect the new weapons. He was thrilled with what he saw, and that night wrote about it in his diary.
    The next day, leaving Will in charge, Henry mounted a fast horse and raced to Cambridge to report Washington and the others greeted him joyfully. And some of the officers apologized for having once doubted the “foolhardy” plan. They showered him with praise and compliments, all of which he shrugged off. “Sirs,” he said with a smile, “if anyone deserves credit it’s the drivers, the troopers, and those hardworking animals.”
    Later, at a council meeting, the mood grew serious. At last they had good artillery and a big shipment of powder was on its way. But General Howe had also gained in strength. He commanded a huge army of redcoats, and his warships could still destroy Boston. The colonists would have to move very carefully. According to their spies, the British had no idea that the rebels had located heavy cannons. How could they guard this vital secret and keep the enemy in the dark? Now that they had real power, what was the best way to use it?

23
Plans and Preparations
    The first weeks of February 1776 were a time of feverish activity, all carried out in secret.
    At Washington’s orders, Colonel Knox brought some of the new guns, under cover of darkness, to Cobble Hill and Lechmere Point near the Cambridge lines. Others were set up around Roxbury. But the main gun batteries—and the big surprise for the British—would be elsewhere.
    Near Roxbury, southwest of Boston Harbor, was a peninsula with steep hills known as Dorchester Heights. These ridges overlooked Boston and dominated the entire harbor. For some strange reason—though they had the troops and guns to do so—the British hadn’t bothered to capture this strategic spot. Washington’s plan was to put most of Henry’s cannons here on the heights. But it had to be done secretly. If General Howe got wind of the rebels’ activities, he would attack without delay.
    Meanwhile the British commander stomped along the deck of his warship, deep in his own plans. He now had 13,500 redcoats and tons of munitions—more than enough to launch a drive on Cambridge. But Howe was nervous about the weather. It was still winter, great windstorms often swept the harbor, and it would be dangerous to move his marines by boat. The rebels, he thought, were getting weaker and had no artillery—so it wouldn’t hurt to wait a bit longer.
    Unknown to smug General Howe, the colonists were working feverishly to get their guns all in place. Then one night toward the middle of the month, General Washington decided to probe the British defenses. Accompanied by Henry Knox and another colonel named Rufus Putnam, he left Roxbury on horseback. Later they dismounted and crept silently toward the causeway that crossed Boston Neck. The men moved carefully and quietly. Henry was enjoying the secret foray.
    Suddenly two British officers came galloping toward them. The officers were waving their swords and signaling