Knox, Henry, 1750-1806 to Lucy Knox

Writes that he curses "the man who first brought on this war only because it separates me from my Love." Mentions that he has received instructions from George Washington to inspect and fortify the local harbor in order to make it safe for Continental troops and the American navy (see GLC02437.00274). Comments on his meeting with Admiral Esek Hopkins and his son, John B. Hopkins, who was recently injured in a naval engagement with the British ship Glasgow. Gives a favorable impression of both, comparing Esek to the Dutch Admiral Van Tromp and proclaiming that John will become a "formidable figure in American History." He longs to see his wife and will judge the propriety of sending for her when he reaches New York. Knox was then moving southward toward New York, planning coastal defenses against the British navy for Rhode Island and Connecticut in the process.