Henry Knox (43 page)

To protect his seniority, Knox decided to seize upon an obscure rule passed by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation that stipulated that an officer's former rank during the Revolution still determined hierarchy in the army. In other words, Knox would outrank Hamilton and Pinckney because he was the superior officer during the war. This appeared to be a dubious claim since the Continental Army, the Continental Congress, and the Articles of Confederation had all passed into history. When Knox's letter protesting Hamilton's promotion over him reached Mount Vernon, Washington "was not a little surprised." He took exception to the accusations, which he found "insinuating and unkind," that his friendship had been less than genuine during their long association. Yet he wrote Knox on August 9 that the wounded tone of his letter had "filled my mind with disquietude, and perplexity in the extreme; but I will say nothing in reply, intentionally, that shall give you a moments pain." He again claimed that he had played very little role in picking the ranking of the major generals and only learned of his own appointment from newspapers, after the issue of rank had been decided. Washington assured Henry that his affection for him was unabated: "I earnestly wished on account of that friendship, as well as on the score of military talents, to have had the assistance of you and Colonel Hamilton in the arduous contest with which we are threatened.“
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Washington sent a private note to McHenry expressing his doubts over whether Knox would serve in the army.

Knox was not without his supporters, however, and not the least of these was the President of the United States. John Adams had gone home to Quincy, Massachusetts, to attend to his ill wife, Abigail, who was rheumatic and struggling for life. Adams more than likely met with Knox, who was then in Boston, and Henry had the opportunity to tell him of his litany of complaints. Adams took a moment away from caring for Abigail on August 14 to express the written opinion that "General Knox is legally entitled to rank next to General Washington; and no other arrangement will give satisfaction." Adams did not agree that New Englanders preferred Hamilton over Knox. In a letter to Secretary of War McHenry, he ordered that Washington's ranking be reversed, which would place Knox above Hamilton. "If it shall be consented that the rank shall be Knox, Pinckney, and Hamilton, you may call the latter, too, into immediate service, when you please. Any other plan will occasion long delay and much confusion. You may depend upon it, the five New
England States will not patiently submit to the humiliation that has been meditated for them.“
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John Quincy Adams, the son of the president and a future president himself, later traced the "first decisive symptom" of a schism in the Federalist Party to the rivalry created by the ranking of the major generals. Washington and the president were suddenly at odds. And during the ordeal, the Adams cabinet showed itself to be more loyal to Hamilton than to the president.
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Washington was irritated that he had been second-guessed by President Adams in a military matter, and he resented Knox's attempt to make a direct appeal to Adams. Washington decided to throw his political influence behind Hamilton as his choice as second in command. He sent a confidential note to Pickering on September 9 that warned: "How the matters stands between [Knox] and the President; and what may be the ultimate decision of the latter, I know not; but I know that the President ought to ponder well before he consents to a change of the arrangement.“
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Washington then cleared the air in a forceful letter to Adams on September 25 in which he flatly stated that if he could not have Hamilton as his coadjutor, the president could fight the war without him. He explained that the task of choosing among Knox, Hamilton, and Pinckney had been acutely painful. "With respect to General Knox," Washington told Adams, "I can say with truth, there is no man in the United States with whom I have been in habits of greater intimacy; no one whom I have loved more sincerely, nor any for whom I have had a greater friendship. But, esteem, love, and friendship, can have no influence on my mind when I conceive that the subjugation of our government and independence, are the objects aimed at by the enemies of our peace; and, when, possibly, our all is at stake."

President Adams was besieged on all sides as his own cabinet pressed for Hamilton to take virtual control of the army. Oliver Wolcott, the secretary of the Treasury, wrote him on September 17, saying that Knox had a spurious claim and reminded him that Washington had agreed to serve only if allowed to pick his generals. Adams wrote a heated reply voicing his virulent antipathy for Hamilton but refrained from mailing it: "If I should consent to the appointment of Hamilton as second in rank, I should consider it as the most [ir]responsible action of my whole life, and the most difficult to justify. Hamilton is not a native of the United States, but a foreigner.“
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Henry realized that he could not serve in the new army and decided to resign his commission. He felt that he had lost Washington's confidence, and the trust that fostered an intimate relationship for the past twenty-three years
had been broken. Knox also felt that he could not serve under a cloud of suspicion. The accusation that he had caused the breach in their friendship wounded him. In his reply, Knox recalled that Washington was the only person among all his friends who advised him to accept "the appointment of the third major general." Knox felt that his offer to serve as Washington's aide had been more than generous and "arose from the sincere effusion of personal attachment, unmixed with regret or resentment. But the possibility being suggested by you of my harboring any secret 'gnawings' upon the subject of rank, precludes decisively my having the satisfaction proposed, of sharing your fate in the field. I will not detain you one moment longer, than to say in the presence of Almighty God, that there is not a creature upon the face of the globe who was, is and will remain more your friend than H. Knox.“
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Knox could not afford to accept a position in the army. If friends counseled him not to accept "the appointment of the third general," they also warned that he could not step away from his Maine estate without incurring financial disaster. Many of his ventures were unfinished and had yet to turn a profit. Knox was having one of the most difficult financial years of his life. His household and businesses were costing $7,661.60 annually to operate while his enterprises were generating about $6,500. He employed more than 100 men. According to records for 1798, cattle slaughtered annually just to feed his household and work crew amounted to 15,000 pounds of beef, 900 pounds of tallow, and 2,500 hides. One beeve and twenty sheep were butchered each week, along with a bounty of fish, fowl, and game. Henry Jackson, Henry's wartime comrade who helped manage his estate, told Knox that he could not walk away from his business obligations to accept any role in the army without risking everything.

Plans for the new army became less important as John Adams lost all his enthusiasm for a war with France. Deciding instead to place his hopes in a diplomatic solution, he began to put together another peace mission to send to Paris. Although tensions remained high as French ships continued to capture American commercial vessels, America's new navy was proving itself. On February 9, 1799, U.S. captain Thomas Truxton, commanding the thirty-sixgun
Constellation
, captured a French thirty-six-gun frigate,
L'Insurgente
, off the island of Nevis, near the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton.
L'Insurgente
had plagued U.S. trade and had captured a merchant ship as recently as November. Knox could take pride in the victory and that his gamble on large frigates was proving farsighted in the undeclared naval war with France.

With the controversy over the army rankings now a moot issue, Hamilton decided that it was time to restore his relationship with Knox. In a March 14 letter, he confessed: "My judgment tells me I ought to be silent on a certain subject; but my heart advises otherwise, and my heart has always been the master of my judgment." Hamilton said he felt greatly pained by Knox's resignation and explained that he had not played a role in the rivalry that had been created between them. This claim was not without truth. Hamilton did offer to serve under Knox, but Pickering did not pass this information on to Washington.

Hamilton confided that "there has been a serious struggle between my respect and attachment for you and the impression of duty. This sounds, I know, like affection, but it is nevertheless the truth. In saying this much, my only motive is to preserve, if I may, a claim on your friendly disposition towards me, and to give you some evidence that my regard for you is unabated.“
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The words provided Knox with great solace. Despite their differences, Knox had great respect and love for Hamilton. Their careers had become inextricably intertwined, and together they had shared some of the most significant moments in American history.

A similar friendly gesture came from Mount Vernon. In an effort to restore ties with Knox, Washington sent a letter on May 22 assuring him of the "sincere and affectionate esteem" that he retained for Henry. Knox immediately replied in kind.

Knox focused his attention on the development of Thomaston in the hopes that the growing settlement would soon increase the value of his land. He became a familiar figure on the town's streets, invariably dressed in black and carrying his gold-handled cane, which he flourished while making points during conversation. His rich baritone voice gave listeners a feeling that he was accustomed to barking orders. He might have seemed imposing if not for his regard for the feelings of other people and his fondness for laughing. He wore a light silk hat, which he would often remove when in the shade. People took notice of the way he would unwind and rewrap the handkerchief over his mutilated hand carefully as if not to expose the injury from his teenage years.

The only drawback to his remote retreat was the absence of friends. He seemed to need constant companionship. Relationships in the eighteenth century often were maintained through cross-country correspondence, and years might pass without friends ever being able to meet in person. Knox kept in
touch with many of his former comrades and remained active in the Society of Cincinnati. But he was social by nature and could not long stay away from society. The Knoxes continued to spend their winters in Boston. On December 22, he wrote to George Washington as one longtime friend to another. Making an introduction on behalf of a Boston friend, Knox wrote: "He like myriads of others, cannot die in peace, nor live with satisfaction, until they see you, who has done so much for them and for their Country!"

He reported that he was prospering and that his son, Henry Jackson Knox, was in the navy. "I am here and should be more happy in my pursuits than I have ever been were some embarrassments entirely dissipated. But this will require time. My estate with indulgence is competent, and greatly more, to the discharge of every cent I owe."

Knox had no way of knowing as he wrote these words that Washington had already died. Ironically he concluded the letter by saying: "I may not wish you the greatest blessing by wishing you a long life—because I believe firmly that while you continue here you are detained from a much better condition. But I pray fervently that your days on earth may be days of felicity without clouds of sickness or sorrow.“
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On December 13, Washington had ridden about his estate and was caught in a light rain, after which he developed a fever and complained of difficulty in breathing. His condition worsened, and doctors bled him of twelve ounces of blood, causing him to deteriorate badly. He died on December 14, 1799, at 67 years of age, and was placed in the vault at Mount Vernon just days after Congress had begun sessions in the capital bearing his name.

In November 1800, a fire erupted at the War Department office in Washington, D.C. Nothing could be done to save the warehoused records detailing the careers of the former secretaries. Samuel Dexter, the current secretary of war, bemoaned: "All my papers have been destroyed by fire." Yet in letters, Knox did not express concern that his place in history might have been jeopardized.