History is often told through accounts of battles and victories, but seldom through love letters. However, in the theatrical performance of "Bound By Letters, The Revolutionary War Correspondence of Lucy & Henry Knox," audiences get a personal, intimate view of the upheaval and uncertainty of war through the eyes of a young married couple.

The performance is based on the surviving correspondence between Henry Knox, the country’s first secretary of war, and his wife Lucy. It was adopted and directed by Music, Theatre, and Dance Professor Denise Gillman, as part of CNU’s "Revolution Close to Home" exhibition and Virginia 250. The show not only personalizes the American Revolution through these letters, but also reveals surprisingly common themes in marriage–communication struggles, money concerns, even in-law troubles–that arose against the backdrop of war.

“What I think is engaging about Lucy & Henry Knox’s story is they were young, educated individuals navigating their marriage while also facing the challenges of the American Revolution and participating actively in the birth of this new country,” said Gillman. “Unlike the letters of John and Abigail Adams, which portray a more mature marriage from this same time period, Lucy and Henry were in their late teens and early 20’s respectively when the American Revolution began. Their letters that span over six years during the war reveal two young people passionately in love, grappling with their fears, ambitions, separation, flaws and vulnerabilities while trying to survive and forge a powerful marriage bond.”

“As a teacher, scholar and director, I am drawn to the research and performative potential of historic letters. I teach an Honors 100 course, History Detectives, which engages numerous infamous letters through research and performance. History professor Phillip Hamilton’s book, The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy & Henry Knox, brought Lucy and Henry to life vividly for me by constructing a captivating narrative frame infused by Hamilton’s rich scholarship as an introduction to their letters and lives. Hamilton’s narrative and Knox's letters form a perfect marriage which brings their youthful personalities, emotions and voices off the page and into your imagination,” said Gillman.

Gillman says the production is truly a collaborative project. Hamilton’s book serves as the foundation, Mallory Kling is the Assistant Director of the production, and alumni Renae Erichson-Teal ’14 and Sarah Pultz ’15 are playwrights providing original dramatic text.

Lucy and Henry Knox are brought to life vividly on stage by Olivia Hargest ‘26, and Nathaniel Newman ‘29, who also played roles in the overall development of the production.

“I believe as we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we must make sure we take time to reflect on how far we have come,” said Newman, who portrayed Henry. “If this was all taken away, what would you sacrifice for freedom? I want people to leave this show with this question circulating in their brain. If I have done that, I have represented the Knox’s reality to the audience.”

“Professor Gillman and I worked together to write an Independent Research Grant proposal to CNU’s Office of Research and Creative Activity, a department I had previously worked under through the Summer Scholars Program,” said Hargest, who portrayed Lucy. “Once approved, I spent time reading and annotating Dr. Hamilton’s book, and we started our rehearsal process in the Spring of 2026. We had weekly rehearsals where we discussed chapters of the book and read through several drafts of Bound by Letters until we came to the final version. Dr. Hamilton’s book really helped us understand both the big picture of these two figures, as well as details that helped us develop our portrayals.”

“I think an important aspect of celebrating Virginia 250 is making myself and others aware of under-recognized stories,” Hargest added. “The state of Virginia is so rich in history and I’m extremely grateful to have lived here all my life, but there is a lot of history that goes uncelebrated or overlooked. This performance and the research we did to bring it to life is something really special and is an idea I hope to see more of. The concept of museum theatre and portrayals of historic figures is extremely engaging and becomes more valuable as we work alongside evolving modern technology… but nothing beats experience!”

Newman was excited to have been offered the opportunity to take on this role as a freshman, and encourages other students to seek out every experience they can.

“Christopher Newport University has so many amazing opportunities for students, and I hope that more students take advantage of them in the future. I do not regret at all taking a step out of my comfort zone and getting a chance to learn something new from this opportunity!”

There are still plenty of upcoming opportunities to see a performance of Bound By Letters.

“The Bound By Letters performance really gives the audience a unique opportunity to experience the American Revolution through the eyes and emotions of two young people at the beginning of their lives together. I think audiences will be surprised by the universality of their story and the strong emotional connections they make to our contemporary lives,” said Gillman.

All scheduled performances of Bound By Letters are free and take place in the Torggler Lecture Hall within the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center.

• Saturday, August 22, 2026 — 2-3:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, September 16, 2026 — 2-3:15 p.m.
• Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2-3:15 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 14, 2026 — 2-3:15 p.m.
• Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 2-3:15 p.m.