i am henry knox, i was already a general in the american revolution. i have to serve under hamilton? again, a testament to how high hamilton had climbed, and deservedly so, in the eyes of former president george washington. here is hamilton's letter around that same time. we are talking late 1798. this is to all of her will cut, junior of connecticut, who has exceeded hamilton as treasury secretary. hamilton says to walcott, "while you are preparing for war, take out a large loan. finally, establish an academy for naval and military instruction." wow, that's a lot. ok. walcott has his hands full. around the same time, speaking of people who were jockeying for position, aaron burr. aaron burr wanted to be a brigadier general. he is politicking for position. he is playing footsy with the federalists. he is like, maybe i do not like those jeffersonian republicans so much after all. i want to be a brigadier general. problem is, he had already been so critical of george washington that that effort did peter out. there is a portrait of major general hamilton

so he will only take it to his friend, another officer, henry knox. so arnold set up as military governor and what is his first act? he throws himself a party where he invites no members of the continental army and he ends up marrying who is right there in the corner peggy shippen who is from a loyalist family and it's through her that he may or may not make the acquaintance of a british major named john andre, potentially start a correspondence that will ultimately lead to treason. arnold obviously gives himself the code name of gustavos after who we read earlier, adolfus, named swedish king in general. meanwhile, the british have a new plan, go south, young man. so the british are going to turn their attention to the south. they are constantly chasing loyalists, they feel that if they could link up with sort of loyalists in america it will help turn the tide of the war. they really have faulty intelligence, some even dating back to 1774 from massachusetts governor thomas hutchinson that it's really only a few ravel rousers, it's most of the colonies

i am henry knox, i was already a general in the revolution. i have to serve under hamilton? again, a testament to how high hamilton had climbed,, and deservedly so, in the eyes of former president george washington. here is hamilton's letter around that. same time we are talking late 1798. hamilton says to walcott, while you are preparing for war, take out a large loan. finally, establish an academy for naval and military instruction. wow, that's a lot. ok. walcott has his hands full. speaking of people who were jockeying for position, aaron burr. aaron burr wanted to be a brigadier general. he is playing footsy with the federalists. maybe i don't like those jeffersonians anymore. he had already been so critical of george washington that that effort did peter out. there is a portrait of major general hamilton that is not well known. we don't know who the artist was, we don't know when it was painted, even what decade. he does have a federal era uniform on with the high color. we don't know what the medal is on his lapel. it was donated around 1960 by john laurens hamilton, a

60 heavy cannons at ticonderoga, so in the winter of 1776, george washington sends a man named henry knox, the chief of his artillery, to ticonderoga. they load these 60 heavy cannons onto sleds driven by oxen and dragged them from lake champlain to boston. about 200 miles. it takes about eight weeks. one of the real forgotten events of the american revolution, but an important event, because the continental army is getting heavy artillery. big heavy cannons. okay. and knox arrives back in boston, sometime in late february or early march. that gives washington an idea. let's go back to our first map from earlier. or later. can't do anything with the charlestown peninsula, because heavy american cannons overlooking the city. william howe could fight. he could land troops here, line them up and do bunker hill all over again. william howe, though, has lost his stomach for bloody, linear combat. what william howe does is on st. patrick's day, 1776, william howe evacuated boston. the british army leaves boston and goes to halifax, nova scotia. the british go to halifax. when the british leave,

in the winter of 1776 george washington sends a man named henry knox who will be the chief of his artillery0 heavy cannons onto sleds driven by oxen, and they drag them from lake sham plain to boston. it's about 200 miles. it takes about 8 weeks. one of the real forgotten events of the american revolution, but an important event. the continental army is getting heavy artillery, heavy, powerful cannons. okay? and knox arrives back at boston sometime in late february or early march. and that gives washington an idea. let's go back to our first map. i probably should have put one earlier. or later. can't do anything with the charlestontown peninsula. the brit risch occupying. doesn't do anything to put him here. you have dorchester heights. it overlooks boston harbor and the city. it has high ground. looks a lot like breeds hill. and in early march, 1776, george washington puts his heavy artillery on dorchester heights making boston untenable. american artillery can sink any ship in boston harbor. they can shell the city. william howe, british commander, wakes up and finds heavy american canno

james madison was in the house, alexander hamilton and thomas jefferson and henry knox were in the cabinetmber how fragile this is. 230 years is not a long time in the great sweep of history and we have to be as careful with that legacy as possible. read what trump said, read the ideal and begin to look at that time that play. >> may shape the way people think about that under this impeachment inquiry. jon meacham, thank you. coming up, the numbers showing a big swing in favor of impeachment just days after a formal inquiry is announced. and nancy pelosi will join joe and mika on capitol hill in an interview you do not want to miss. we're back in two minutes. iew o miss. we're back in two minutes. i get it all the time. "have you lost weight?" of course i have- ever since i started renting from national. because national lets me lose the wait at the counter... ...and choose any car in the aisle. and i don't wait when i return, thanks to drop & go. at national, i can lose the wait...and keep it off. looking good, patrick. i know. (vo) go national. go like a pro. >>> congratulated me for wha