Trivia: Who was the first American secretary of war?
Patrick Henry
Henry Knox
Thomas Jefferson
Roger Sherman
The correct answer is Henry Knox
So why is this answer correct? : Inquisitive from a young age, founding father Henry Knox opened a bookstore at age 21, devouring books on famous military battles, engineering, and mathematics in order to teach himself the art of war. He joined a local militia a year later in 1772, successfully leading troops in the American Revolution, and later ascending to the secretary of war position under President George Washington.