Halifax State Historic Site

Halifax
NC

Portrait by Artist to Come

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Founded in 1760, Historic Halifax is a restored village. In April 1776 representatives from the state gathered in Halifax to declare that North Carolina's delegates to the Continental Congress were empowered to declare independence from Britain. It was the first colony to do so.

[Major General Henry] Knox proudly stepped aside on Tuesday, October 9 [1781] to allow Washington the honor of igniting the bore hole of a heavy siege gun and ceremoniously discharging the first shot from the American battery at Yorktown. The shell was clearly visible as it streaked across the sky and land with precision within the British compound, setting off cheers throughout the American ranks. The Continental artillery corps then continued an uninterrupted stream of fire that produced a relentless, unnerving, and deafening roar. Cornwallis would later recall: The fire continued incessant from heavy cannon, and from mortars and howitzers throwing shells from 8 to 16 inches, until all our guns on the left were silenced, our work much damaged, and our loss of men considerable

Mark Puls
Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution (2008)