John Knox (British Army officer)

Very little is known about his early life. He was born in Ireland, the third son of a Sligo merchant, and served as a volunteer in the British Army before distinguishing himself at the Battle of Lauffeld in 1747. Consequently, he was awarded an ensigncy in the 43rd Regiment of Foot by the Duke of Cumberland. ==North America==

In 1754 Knox, still with the 43rd, purchased a lieutenancy and three years later left Ireland with his regiment for Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 43rd were initially intended to support the Earl of Loudon's operation against Louisbourg but this expedition never took place as a result of a combination of poor weather conditions and a strong French naval contingent. Nor did Knox's regiment take part in Amherst's successful campaign the following year. Instead, they spent those two years stationed at Fort Cumberland and around Annapolis. Knox noted in his diary that, "Though we are said to be in possession of Nova Scotia, yet it is in reality of a few fortresses only, the French and the Indians disputing the country with us on every occasion, inch by inch, even within range of our artillery; so that, as I have observed before, when the troops are not numerous, they cannot venture in safety beyond their walls". By September, Wolfe was desperate to bring the siege to a conclusion. He called a meeting of his brigadiers and an amphibious assault on the Anse du Foulon was decided upon. Here a narrow pathway provided access to the Plains of Abraham. The landing took place on the night of the 12th-13th. A French-speaking officer, (perhaps Donald MacDonald), fooled the sentry guarding the track, and by morning ten battalions of British troops had formed up on the Plains of Abraham. Knox's regiment was at the centre with the 47th, with orders not to fire until the enemy were within 40 paces. Knox noted how the French released their first full volley at some 136 yards but the enemy's fire was met with "...the greatest intrepidity and firmness". When the British finally returned fire, Knox describes how they did so with "great calmness" and how the resulting discharge was as close and heavy as any performed. This short-range volley was one of the most destructive in military history. With insufficient time to entrench, Murray, like Montcalm, decided to go on the offensive and on 28 April 1760 he marched his troops out of the city to do battle with a superior French force. Murray thought his best chance was to attack the French before they had time to form up; this tactic proved successful at first, due in part to the more numerous British artillery. When the British were required to advance, however, they had to do so without their guns, which had become stuck in the mud and snow. Knox's diary describes how his regiment, the 43rd, together with the 3rd battalion of Americans, captured and briefly held two redoubts before being pushed back. ==Later career==

By the end of 1760, Knox was a captain in an independent company in England. This company briefly formed part of the 99th Foot regiment, before it was disbanded following the Treaty of Paris (1763). It was around this time that Knox, now residing in Gloucester on half-pay, wrote his two-volume book An Historical Journal of the Campaigns in North America for the Years 1757, 1758, 1759 and 1760, published in London in 1769. ==Personal life==

Knox married a well-to-do Irish lady, Jane Carre, in 1751. Her estate, however, was managed by a trustee and Knox never fully benefited from her wealth. Knox and his wife had a son, whom they both outlived. ==References==