By Alex Portal | aportal@poststar.com

Photo by Alex Portal, Post-Star. Pictured left to right, film Director, Jordan Forkey, WMHT’s Will Pedigo, Saratoga County Historian & Saratoga 250 Chair, Lauren Roberts, Town of Saratoga Historian & Saratoga 250 Vice Chair, Sean Kelleher, Film Executive Producer & Campaign for Saratoga 250 Executive Director, William Teator.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Move over Ken Burns, a new documentary produced by Campaign for Saratoga 250, Inc., and 32 Mile Productions, chronicling the Knox expedition as well as the massive, months-long 250^th commemoration, premieres at 9 p.m. on March 10 on PBS.

“We have put so much time into this commemorative effort, but it’s only one moment in time,” said Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts during a special early screening of the film on March 5. “Being able to capture it as a film means that it can live on.”

The 28-minute special features one-on-one interviews with local historians, including Roberts; Saratoga town historian Sean Kelleher; Washington County 250^th co-chair Pat Niles; Rensselaer County historian Kathryn Sheehan; site manager for the Schuylerville Mansion Historic Site Heidi Hill; New York State historian Devin Lander; Dr. Bruce Venter, Ph.D.; Revolution 250 MA Executive Director Jonathan Lane; and Siena University professor of history, Dr. Jennifer Dorsey, Ph.D.; as well as footage taken during the various events and reenactments, which took place between Lake George and Hillsdale, NY, throughout December 2025 and January 2026.

One of the biggest challenges for the production team was getting the right mix of historical shots featuring reenactors and behind-the-scenes-style clips for the documentary.

“I was trying to film stuff in a way, like, could this really be the 1770s, even though I’m surrounded by people?” explained 32 Mile Productions owner/Director Jordan Forkey after the screening.

Most of the work done by 32 Mile is in the pharmaceutical industry, but Forkey said everything they do is “docu-style” work, so transitioning to a historic documentary was smooth but daunting.

“Most of our work is three- to five-minute, short-form documentary stories,” he said.

The team is currently sitting on its biggest project, a film about the lead drummer for progressive rock band “Coheed and Cambria,” Josh Epphard, and his struggles with heroin addiction. The production company is currently negotiating with the band for distribution. In the meantime, their new Henry Knox film premiering nationwide via the PBS app is no small consolation.

“We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into,” owner/senior producer Chuck Fernandez said. “It wasn’t really until we got into the footage that we were like, ‘oh wow, we really have something here.’”

Being a local production company based in Ballston Lake, the team said there was an unanticipated sense of pride that came with telling the Henry Knox story.

“Not only are we proud of the movie and the pieces that we make about the history, you learn about it over time, and you become proud to be a local,” senior editor Ryan Traver said.

For Nicholas Herder-Dwarika, director of photography, knowing that his work will be intrinsically tied to the history of America is an altogether unique feeling.

“At the 300th anniversary, if people want to look at this, our names, 32 Mile, and our actual names are tied to the production of this,” he said. “It’s weird and cool to think that somewhere along the lines, maybe some kid will be looking at my footage to write a paper or something.”

On a press tour, promoting his six-part documentary, “The American Revolution,” filmmaker Ken Burns told a group of students at Stillwater High School that he wanted his film to give the audience a sense of unknowing about the outcome.

“In history, it’s never certain it’s going to turn out the way you know it did,” he said at the time. “George Washington doesn’t know how it’s going to turn out, nor does the lowly private who’s unsure there at [the battle of] Freeman’s Farm whether he’s going to get up the energy and the nerve to attack.”

For Forkey and his team, they wanted to make a film where audiences could invest themselves in the character of Henry Knox, not just the accomplishment of his expedition.  

“I have to kind of learn to obsess over these people and kind of fall in love with them, and if the audience doesn’t do that, I feel like it’s a failure,” Forkey said of his work.

“At the end of this, you want to root for Henry Knox, but also you want to root for the people that come after Henry Knox,” Fernandez added.

For long-time historical reenactor Thomas Pettigrew, who starred in the film and portrayed Knox during much of the commemoration, it was the role of a lifetime.

“In my reenacting experience, this was the first time doing a first-person portrayal,” he said. “If you’re going to go out and say, ‘I am so-and-so,’ you have to be able to stay in first person and answer questions.”

For many living historians, portraying a historic character, whether real or fictional, requires them to retain a deep understanding of the person they’re portraying.

“I’m by no means an expert. I think what qualifies me as Henry Knox is I’m pretty close to his physical description,” Pettigrew quipped.

But in preparing to take on the role of Henry Knox, Pettigrew got to know a little bit about the man and found a common place to connect with the character.

“He was too young and inexperienced to know he couldn’t do it,” Pettigrew said of the 25-year-old bookseller, adding that it’s just as important to remember that Knox was far from alone in his endeavor. “We get caught up on Knox and forget the other people sometimes. Right down to the guys, the teamsters who were working the oxen and dragging the sleds themselves.”

Pettigrew said he’s proud to be a part of a community of living historians, and for the opportunity to be a part of Henry Knox’s ongoing legacy.

“I’m looking forward to royalties,” he joked. “I hope they spell my name right in the history books.”

PBS programming is booming with Revolutionary War content, including the aforementioned Ken Burns documentary series, “The Revolutionary War,” the NOVA series, “Revolutionary War Weapons,” and even offerings from our one-time oppressors, the BBC’s “Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution.”

But the local affiliate is always on the lookout for content that’s closer to home. The station has turned its “Field Trip” travel series loose on some of the most iconic Revolutionary War locations around the area, and later in the fall, a new hour-long documentary exploring America’s war for independence through the lens of food, featuring Amelia Simmons’ “American Cookery,” which was published in Albany in 1796, will drop.

“This is a perfect companion, it’s wonderful to have a local story that we can share with our audiences,” Will Pedigo, vice president and chief content and engagement officer for local PBS affiliate, WHMT Public Media, said at the screening on March 5. “We don’t have all the stories, but we want to air all the stories.”

Roberts said that the Campaign for Saratoga 250 is already working with the production team to plot out scenes for the upcoming Battles of Saratoga commemoration in 2027.

The special, titled “Henry Knox, Resolve Forged By Revolution,” will premiere at 9 p.m., March 10, on PBS and will be available to stream across the country via the PBS app.

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By Eden Stratton | estratton@troyrecord.com

Photo by Eden Stratton.

SCHUYLERVILLE, N.Y. — It was a blast from the past at Hudson Crossing Park, as residents celebrated the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox’s historic 1775 “Noble Train” march that delivered vital artillery to George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

The event featured reenactors who educated attendees about the march, including details about what clothing and food the men would have worn and eaten. In addition, the event featured horse rides, sled and cannon displays, as well as food and drinks from local vendors.

“It’s great, it’s a lot of information, especially with the lady that has all the food,” attendee Marcia Burns said. “That was amazing, and the garments. That was very, very well done.”

Saratoga 250 Secretary Vinnie Asaro said the big turnout was exciting to see. He emphasized that Saratoga has lots of history to share and should be celebrated.

“We want to establish a permanent presence that promotes the Revolutionary history of Saratoga,” he said. “This place is rich in Revolutionary War history. I mean, Saratoga’s motto is ‘Health, History and Horses.’ History is part of our DNA.”

Hoping to end the Siege of Boston, Washington entrusted Knox, a 25-year-old bookseller, to move 60 tons of artillery captured from British forces at Fort Ticonderoga to assist the Continental Army. A scholarly young man, Knox would plan a dangerous and difficult 300-mile route through mountains, frozen lakes and winter roads.

“(Knox) learned everything he could about artillery from books, and General Washington gave him the task of getting (artillery) from Ticonderoga because the American army needed it,” Asaro said. “It was quite the feat. It’s called the Continental Artillery, and he was able to do that, literally traveling over Lake George and frozen areas across the Mohawk River.

“It’s quite the story.”

Present at the event was reenactor Jon Jasewicz, who portrayed General Philip Schuyler. Jasewicz said Schuyler was essential in the execution of Knox’s march, providing means and material to navigate the treacherous terrain.

“The logistical nightmare of this to make this happen — you didn’t have modern highways, didn’t have cell phones and stuff like this,” he said. “(Schuyler) made sure that they had teamsters, they had men, they had sleds, and to venture back up to Ticonderoga to help and assist Colonel Knox with whatever he needed to make this happen.”

Knox would arrive in Cambridge after 56 days, personally reporting to Washington that the train had arrived. The artillery he provided would eventually force the British to leave Boston, and marked one of the first victories for Continental Army.

“(He) eventually becomes a general, he’s put in charge of the entire Continental artillery for the rest of the war,” Asaro said. “After the war, he actually becomes Washington’s Secretary of War, so he’s quite the guy.”

Reenactor Dawn White said the event highlighted Knox and his men’s accomplishments, and recognized the importance of freedom.

“I have been left with a profound sense of gratitude, awe and love for the men and women who against all odds fought to secure our freedom here,” she said in a text. “How can we take part in such a celebration and not be left amazed at what they accomplished (?)”

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By Lauren Roberts | Sponsored by the Saratoga County History Center

Knox recreated artillery sled. Photo provided by Saratoga County History Center

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a 25-year-old bookseller from Boston was a guest in Stillwater on Christmas Eve. His name was Henry Knox, and he was on an important expedition. 

Sent by General George Washington, Knox was to retrieve artillery that had been taken from several forts captured by the fledgling American Army and bring them 300 miles to relieve the Siege of Boston in the winter of 1775. Knox, well-read and possessing incredible confidence for someone with his level of experience, left Boston in November and headed to Fort Ticonderoga where 59 pieces of artillery were selected to be part of his “Noble Train of Artillery,” a phrase penned by Knox himself in a letter to George Washington.

Knox arrived at Fort Ticonderoga on December 5th, 1775, and after overseeing the preparations for the first leg of the journey, which meant moving the cannon out of the fort and up to the landing at the northern end of Lake George, he proceeded ahead of the gun-laden boats and made his way to Fort George. His younger brother William stayed behind with the bateau, “pettiauger” and scow as they made their way up a cold, though not frozen, Lake George.

After Henry arrived at Fort George, he was delayed while waiting for sleds, draft animals and snow. While there, he had time to write in his diary and catch up on correspondence with Gen. Philip Schuyler, Gen. George Washington and his wife Lucy. In these letters he described weather conditions, anticipated timelines and logistics for the upcoming overland journey. Washington had ordered Schuyler to assist Knox on this mission, and, since Schuyler was familiar with both the local landscape and many of the contractors in the area, he was not shy about informing Knox who he should, and should not, be working with. Knox had contracted with George Palmer of Stillwater to “purchase or get made 40 good strong sleds… and likewise that you would procure oxen or horses as you shall judge most proper to drag them.” In the same letter, Knox goes on to promise Palmer that, “whatever expense you are at I shall pay you immediately.”

Palmer was a well-known Patriot, serving as a member of the Albany Committee of Correspondence. Though he clearly believed in the cause of independence, he may not have been above profiting handsomely from Knox’s naiveté. When Schuyler became aware of this agreement he pumped the brakes, telling Knox that paying Palmer to build new sleds for this journey was an unnecessary expense since these sleds already existed in the region and presumably could be hired at a much lower cost than what Palmer was about to charge.

Knox followed Schuyler’s sound advice, though it was clear that Palmer was not happy about this reversal. A letter from Palmer to Knox written on Christmas Day 1775 expresses his disappointment in the cancelation of the contract and even warns Knox that there may be dangerous consequences in letting down all the people who stood ready to assist the artillery train. If Knox responded to this thinly vailed threat, it has been lost to history.

Knox left Fort George ahead of the artillery to go to Schuyler in Albany and work out the new plan for obtaining sleds. Though pages of his diary are missing during this time, it seems that he left on December 24th in the middle of a heavy snowstorm. After noting that Judge “Dewer” helped him obtain a sleigh to get to Stillwater, he explains how difficult it was to make forward progress in the snow. Stopping at Arch McNeals in Saratoga (now Schuylerville) to take in a meal, they left there at 3pm, “it still snowing exceeding fast” and only made it to Stillwater before having to stop for the night. He spent the night at Ensign’s Tavern and woke up on Christmas morning to over two feet of snow on the ground. While he had worried just a few days earlier that there would not be enough snow for the sleds, now there was too much snow for him to even make it to Schuyler’s house. He notes, “we got a sleigh to go to Albany but the roads not being broken prevented our getting farther than New City (now Lansingburgh) about 9 miles above Albany – where we lodg’d.” 

Knox eventually made it to Schuyler’s house in Albany on December 26th though the travel continued to be very difficult and Knox “almost perish’d with the cold.” The first order of business was to send for George Palmer and see if an agreement could be reached regarding the much-needed sleds. A lengthy conversation took place between Palmer and Schuyler, but they remained at an impasse over the price Palmer demanded and he was eventually dismissed. Schuyler then took matters into his own hands to obtain the sleds and draft animals, sending out his wagon master to make connections with local teamsters. By New Year’s Eve, the wagon master had returned to Schuyler’s, with the names of the teamsters who were on their way to Fort George with sleds to begin loading the cannon. Knox estimated that approximately 124 pairs of horses were employed to move the 60 tons of artillery. While it is often thought that oxen were used exclusively to pull the artillery train, from Fort George to Springfield, Massachusetts, it was primarily horses that were given this task. 

With the matter of the sleds and draft animals settled, and the desired snow blanketing the ground, Knox and his noble train were finally on their way towards Boston. Though difficulties still lay ahead for this expedition, they wouldn’t experience any more significant delays and by the end of January, they had arrived in Cambridge. In the coming weeks Washington’s army would successfully mount several cannons atop Dorchester Heights in a move that convinced the British Army it was time to leave the city of Boston, which they did on March 17, a date still known as “Evacuation Day”.

Knox’s successful mission was a key victory in the American War for Independence. It showed the British that the American Army was capable of completing complicated expeditions, it showed Washington that Knox was someone he could rely on and it boosted the morale of the Patriots, who knew they were up against an army that bested them in numbers, experience, material and money. It was a feat worth celebrating. 

And even now, 250 years later, we are continuing that celebration. This December, a bi-state commemoration is taking place in honor of Knox. Programs and processions are taking place all the way from Crown Point to Dorchester Heights. In Saratoga County, several events are scheduled on December 13th and 14th, with Knox Fest at Fort Hardy Park, an 18th Century Candlelight Concert at the Arts Center on the Hudson in Mechanicville, and a ceremony at the Knox Trail Marker in Soldiers and Sailors Park in Waterford. These events are all free and open to the public and we encourage you to come experience this history in your backyard. For more information on these events, and others across the region, visit knox250.com.

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