Thomas W. Knox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thomas W. Knox
Portrait of Knox, published in the New York Times on January 7, 1896, on his death
Born	Thomas Wallace Knox (1835-06-26)June 26, 1835 Pembroke, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died	January 6, 1896(1896-01-06) (aged 60) New York City, New York
Occupation	Journalist, author
Notable credit(s)	New York Herald Civil War reporting The Boy Travelers series
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Thomas Wallace Knox (June 26, 1835 – January 6, 1896) was an American journalist, author, and world traveler. He was famous for his work as a reporter during the American Civil War for the New York Herald newspaper. Knox wrote over 45 books, including a popular series of travel adventure books for boys.

Knox was known for his reports about General William Tecumseh Sherman and his Union soldiers. Some of his writings caused debate about General Sherman's actions. Knox also published important information about the Vicksburg Campaign. He was accused of being a spy but was found not guilty. However, he was found guilty of not following orders.

Thomas Knox's Life Story

Thomas Wallace Knox was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire in 1835. He went to local schools there. He became a teacher and later moved to New York State. In New York, he started a school in Kingston. In 1860, when he was 25, Knox traveled west to join the gold rush in Colorado. Soon after, he began working for the Denver Daily News newspaper.

When the Civil War began, Knox joined the California National Guard. He became a lieutenant colonel. He was hurt in a small battle in Missouri and then left the army. After that, Knox went back to being a journalist. He became a reporter for the New York Herald. He soon had disagreements with General Sherman.

After the war, Knox traveled all over the world. At first, he traveled with the Russo-American Telegraph Company. He used these trips as ideas for more travel and wrote many books about foreign places. He wrote books for both adults and children.

Knox never got married. From the 1880s onward, when he was not traveling, he lived at the Lotos Club in Manhattan. He spent his summers at the Olympic Club in Bay Shore, Long Island. Thomas Knox died at the Lotos Club in January 1896. This was shortly after he returned from a trip to the Sahara desert.

Clubs and Groups

Thomas Knox was a member of several important clubs:

• Lotos Club — He was the secretary of this club from 1880 to 1889.
• Union League Club of New York
• Authors' Club
• Olympic Club

Books by Thomas Knox

Here are some of the books Thomas Knox wrote:

• Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field: Southern Adventure in Time of War. (1865)
• Overland through Asia; Pictures of Siberian, Chinese, and Tartar Life (1871)
• The Boy Travellers in the Far East (1880)
• How to Travel (1881)
• The Story Teller of the Desert—"Backsheesh!" (1885)
• Horse Stories, and Stories of Other Animals (1890)
• The Land of the Kangaroo (1896)
• The Lost Army (1899)
• The Life of Robert Fulton and a History of Steam Navigation (1900)