Memoirs Of Aaron Burr, Volume 1, Matthew L. Davis [book club suggestions .txt] 📗

Chapter VIII Pg 93

On Your Return, Which Will Be Through Litchfield, You Will Leave

Orders For All Detachments Of Any Regiments Of General Nixon'S Brigade

To Take The Most Direct Route To Albany, Provided They Be Farther Than

Thirty Miles From This Place, As Much Will Be Saved, And Fatigue

Avoided By The Observance Of This.

 

 

Having Settled A Line Of Intelligence From The Different Towns On The

Coast, And Left The Necessary Directions For The Detachments Of

Brigadier-General Nixon'S Brigade, You Will Return With All Convenient

Speed To This Place.

 

 

Given Under My Hand, At Headquarters, Peekskill, 14Th Day Of July,

1777.

 

 

Israel Putnam.

 

 

 

 

 

This Was The Last Order That Major Burr Ever Received As The

Aid-De-Camp Of His "Good Old General." On His Return To Camp He

Received, In The Usual Form, A Letter From General Washington,

Announcing To Him His Appointment As Lieutenant-Colonel In The

Continental Army, To Which He Replied,

Chapter VIII Pg 94

Peekskill, 21St July, 1777.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Was This Morning Favoured With Your Excellency'S Letter Of The 29Th

Ult., And My Appointment To Colonel Malcolm'S Regiment. Am Truly

Sensible Of The Honour Done Me, And Shall Be Studious That My

Deportment In That Station Be Such As Will Ensure Your Future Esteem.

I Am Nevertheless, Sir, Constrained To Observe, That The Late Date Of

My Appointment Subjects Me To The Command Of Many Who Were Younger In

The Service, And Junior Officers The Last Campaign.

 

 

With Submission, And If There Is No Impropriety In Requesting What So

Nearly Concerns Me, I Would Beg To Know Whether It Was Any Misconduct

In Me, Or Any Extraordinary Merit Or Services In Them, Which Entitled

The Gentlemen Lately Put Over Me To That Preference? Or, If A Uniform

Diligence And Attention To Duty Has Marked My Conduct Since The

Formation Of The Army, Whether I May Not Expect To Be Restored To That

Rank Of Which I Have Been Deprived, Rather, I Flatter Myself, By

Accident Than Design? I Would Wish Equally To Avoid The Character Of

Turbulent Or Passive, And Am Unhappy To Have Troubled Your Excellency

With A Matter Which Concerns Only Myself. But, As A Decent Regard To

Rank Is Both Proper And Necessary, I Hope It Will Be Excused In One

Who Regards His Honour Next To The Welfare Of His Country.

 

 

I Am Not Yet Acquainted With The State Of The Regiment Or The Prospect

Of Filling It; But Shall Immediately Repair To Rendezvous And Receive

Colonel Malcolm'S Directions.

 

 

I Have The Honour To Be, With Great Respect,

 

 

Your Excellency'S Obedient Servant,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter VIII Pg 95

Colonel Malcolm'S Regiment Was At This Time Stationed At Ramapo, Or

The Clove, In Orange County, New-York, Whither Lieutenant-Colonel Burr

Proceeded. On Presenting Himself, The Colonel Was Greatly Surprised.

The Youthful Appearance Of Burr Led Him To Apprehend That He Would Be

Wanting In Judgment And Discretion; But A Very Short Acquaintance

Removed These Impressions. Malcolm Retired With His Family About

Twenty Miles Distant, Leaving Burr In Command, Kindly Remarking--"You

Shall Have All The Honour Of Disciplining And Fighting The Regiment,

While I Will Be Its Father;" And He Kept His Word, For It Is Believed

That He Never Commanded It In Battle During The Whole War, Although It

Was Frequently Engaged. This Duty Devolved Upon Colonel Burr.

 

 

In September, 1777, The British Came Out Of The City Of New-York, On

The West Side Of The Hudson River, About 2000 Strong, For The Purpose

Of Plundering And Devastating The Adjacent Country, And Capturing The

Public Stores. Colonel Burr Was With His Regiment, Distant About

Thirty Miles, When He Heard Of The Enemy, And Yet He Was In Their

Camp, And Captured Or Destroyed Their Picket-Guards Before The Next

Morning. For Two Days And Nights He Never Slept. His Regular Force Did

Not Exceed Three Hundred Men; But, By Surprising The British

Sentinels, He Struck Consternation Into Their Ranks, And They Fled

With Precipitation, Leaving Behind Them Their Plunder And A Part Of

Their Stores. The Following Letters Afford Ample Details:--

Chapter VIII (Statement Of Judge George Gardner) Pg 96

Dated Newburgh, 20Th December,

1813.

 

 

In September, 1777, The Regiment Called Malcolm'S Regiment Lay At

Suffren'S, In The Clove, Under The Command Of Lieutenant-Colonel Burr.

Intelligence Having Been Received That The Enemy Were In Hackensack In

Great Force, And Advancing Into The Country, Colonel Burr Immediately

Marched With The Effective Men, Except A Guard To Take Care Of The

Camp. I Understood That While We Were On The March, An Officer Arrived

Express From Major-General Putnam, Who Commanded At Peekskill,

Recommending Or Ordering Colonel Burr To Retire With The Public Stores

To The Mountains: To Which Colonel Burr Replied, That He Could Not Run

Away From An Enemy Whom He Had Not Seen, Mid That He Would Be

Answerable For The Public Stores And For His Men.

 

 

We Arrived At Paramus, A Distance Of Sixteen Miles, Before Sunset.

There Were Considerable Bodies Of Militia, In Great Alarm And

Disorder, And Doing Much Mischief To The Neighbouring Farms. They

Could Give No Intelligence Of The Enemy But From Rumour. Supposed Them

To Be Within A Few Miles, And Advancing.

 

 

Colonel Burr Set Some Of The Militia To Repair The Fences They Had

Destroyed, And Arranged Them As Well As Time Would Permit; And Having

Taken Measures To Secure The Troops From Surprise, And Also For The

Protection Of The Cornfields, He Marched Immediately, With About

Thirty Of The Most Active Of The Regiment, And A Few Of The Militia,

To Ascertain The Position And Numbers Of The Enemy. About Ten O'Clock

At Night, Being Three Miles From Hackensack, We Got Certain

Intelligence That We Were Within A Mile Of The Picket-Guards Of The

Enemy. Colonel Burr Then Led The Men Into A Wood, And Ordered Them To

Sleep Till He Should Awake Them, Of Which We Had Great Need, Having

Marched More Than Thirty Miles Since Noon. Colonel Burr Then Went

Alone To Discover The Position Of The Enemy. He Returned About Half An

Hour Before Day And Waked Us, And Told Us That He Was Going To Attack

The Picket Of The Enemy. That We Had Only To Follow Him, And Then

Forbid Any Man To Speak Or To Fire, On Pain Of Death. He Led Us

Between The Sentinels In Such A Way That We Were Within A Few Yards Of

The Picket-Guard Before They Suspected Our Approach. He Then Gave The

Word, And We Rushed Upon Them Before They Had Time To Take Their Arms,

And The Greater Part Were Killed. A Few Prisoners And Some

Accoutrements Were Brought Off Without The Loss Of One Man. Colonel

Burr Immediately Sent Off An Express To Paramus, To Order All The

Troops To Move, And To Rally The Country. Our Little Success Had So

Encouraged The Inhabitants, That They Turned Out With Great Alacrity,

And Put Themselves Under The Command Of Colonel Burr. But The Enemy,

Probably Alarmed By These Threatening Appearances, Retreated The Next

Day, Leaving Behind Them The Greater Part Of The Cattle And Plunder

Which They Had Taken. Colonel Burr Was Prevented From Pursuing, By

Peremptory Orders, Which Were Received The Day Following The Action,

To Join, Without Delay, The Main Army, Then In Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

 

I Served In This Regiment All The Time It Was Under The Command Of

Colonel Burr, Being About Two Years; After Which He Was Called To Take

A Separate Command In Westchester. During The Whole Time He Never

Permitted Corporal Punishment To Be Inflicted In A Single Instance;

Yet No Regiment In The Army Was Under Better Discipline, And I Doubt

Whether It Was Equalled By Any One.

 

 

George Gardner.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 97

 

 

 

Esq., Member Of Assembly.

 

 

New-York, 22D January, 1814.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Have Understood That An Application Will Be Made To The Legislature

By Or On Behalf Of Colonel Burr, For Remuneration For His Military

Services During Our Revolutionary War. Having Had The Happiness To

Serve Under Him For More Than Two Years, And Having Retained An

Unbounded Respect For His Talents And Character, You Will Pardon Me

For Asking Your Active Support Of Any Thing Which May Be Moved In His

Favour; For Certainly, If Any Officer Of The Army Deserved Recompense,

It Is Colonel Burr.

 

 

He Sacrificed His Health, And Underwent More Fatigue And Privations

Than Any Other Officer Of Whom I Had Any Knowledge. If I Thought It

Could Be Useful To Him Or Amusing To You, I Would Enter Into Details;

But The Facts Are Of General Notoriety, And His Superiority As A

Military Man, As Far As My Knowledge Extends, Universally Allowed.

 

 

I Will However Detain You While I Relate A Single Incident, Because It

Was The First Of Which I Was A Witness. I Was Attached As A Cadet To

Colonel Malcolm'S Regiment, Then Stationed In The Clove, When Burr

Joined It As Lieutenant-Colonel, Being In The Summer Of 1777. Malcolm,

Seeing That His Presence Was Unnecessary While Burr Was There, Was

With His Family About Twenty Miles Distant. Early In September, We

Heard That The Enemy Were Out In Great Force. Burr Gave Orders For The

Security Of The Camp And Of The Public Stores, And Within One Hour

After News Was Received, Marched With The Choice Of The Regiment To

Find The Enemy. At Paramus The Militia Were Assembled In Considerable

Force, But In Great Disorder And Terror. No One Could Tell The Force

Or Position Of The Enemy. Burr Assumed The Command, To Which They

Submitted Cheerfully, As He Alone (Though But A Boy