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

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Seemed To Know What He Was About. He Arranged And Encouraged Them As

Well As Time Would Permit, And, Taking A Few Of The Most Hardy Of The

Men, Continued His March Towards The Enemy. Two Or Three Miles This

Side Hackensack, We Learned That We Were Near The Enemy'S Advanced

Guard. Burr Chose A Convenient Place For The Men To Repose, And Went

Himself To Examine The Position Of The Enemy. A Little Before Daylight

He Returned, Waked Us, And Ordered Us To Follow Him. He Led Us

Silently And Undiscovered Within A Few Paces Of The British Guard,

Which We Took Or Killed. From The Prisoners We Learned That The Enemy

Were About Two Thousand Strong. Without Loss Of Time He Sent Expresses

With Orders To The Militia, And To Call Out The Country; And I Have No

Doubt But He Would, Within Forty-Eight Hours, Have Had An Army Capable

Of Checking The Progress Of The Enemy, And Of Preventing Or Impeding

Their Retreat; But They Retreated The Day Following, And With Every

Mark Of Precipitation. During These Two Days And Nights The Colonel

Did Not Lie Down Or Take A Minute'S Repose. Thus You Perceive, My Dear

Sir, That Burr, Being More Than Thirty Miles Distant When He Heard Of

The Enemy, Was In Their Camp The Same Night. You Will Agree With Me

That Things Are Not Done So Nowadays.

 

 

Similar Instances Of Activity And Enterprise Occurred In Each Of The

Four Campaigns He Served, And Very Frequently, During The Winter, He

Commanded On The Lines Of Westchester. I Repeat, That It Will Afford

Me Pleasure To Relate So Much Of These Things As Came To My Own

Knowledge, If It Would Be Of Any Use.

 

 

Malcolm Was Never A Month With The Regiment After Burr Joined It; So

That It Was Burr Who Formed It, And It Was A Model For The Whole Army

In Discipline And Order. He Never, In A Single Instance, Permitted Any

Corporal Punishment.

 

 

His Attention And Care Of The Men Were Such As I Never Saw, Nor Any

Thing Approaching To It, In Any Other Officer, Though I Served Under

Many. It Would Be A Disgrace To The Country If Such A Man Should Be

Denied A Liberal Compensation, When It Is Too Well Known That He

Stands In Need Of It.

 

 

I Shall Consider Myself As Personally Obliged By Your Exertions In His

Favour, And Hope Your Colleagues Will Add Theirs To Yours. Please To

Show This Letter To Your Colleagues, And To Offer Them My Respects.

 

 

I Am, Very Respectfully,

 

 

Your Obedient Servant,

 

 

Robert Hunter.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 98

The Original Order To Join The Main Army In Pennsylvania, To Which

Judge Gardner Refers In The Preceding Statement, Is Found Among The

Papers Of Colonel Burr, And Is As Follows:--

 

 

 

 

 

Headquarters, Peekskill, 27Th September, 1777.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Have Just Received A Letter From General Washington, Dated

_Thirty-Four Miles Up Schuylkill_, Wherein He Informs Me That General

Howe'S Army Had Found Means To Cross Schuylkill Several Miles Below

His Army; Upon Which He Has Ordered A Further Reenforcement From This

Post, Of Which Corps You Must Join. You Will Therefore, Upon The

Receipt Of This, Prepare To Join General Parsons'S Brigade, Whom I

Have Ordered Up From The White Plains. I Shall Endeavour To Send Some

Militia To Guard The Stores Remaining In The Clove. Your Baggage Must

Go With You.

 

 

I Am, Sir, Your Very Humble Servant,

 

 

Israel Putnam, M. G.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 99

Immediately After Colonel Burr Had Surprised And Captured The British

Guard, He Received Various Complimentary Notes From Officers Of The

Army Requesting Details. A Short Extract From One Is Given.

 

 

Peekskill, 20Th September, 1777.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Congratulate You Upon The Good Fortune You Met With In Taking Off

The Enemy'S Picket. We Have Had Various Accounts About The Manner In

Which You Executed The Plan. The Particulars I Should Be Glad To Hear

From Yourself.

 

 

Yours, &C.

 

 

T. Yates.

 

 

To Lieutenant-Colonel A. Burr.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 100

Colonel Burr, With His Accustomed Promptitude, As Soon As He Received

The Orders Of Major-General Putnam, Put His Regiment In Motion. On The

Second Day Of His March He Received From General Varnum The Following,

Directed To Lieutenant-Colonel Burr, On His March To Morristown.

 

 

Cakeat, October 1St, 1777.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I This Moment Received Your Favour Of This Date. The Enemy Have Landed

At Powler'S Hook In Great Force. I Am Apprehensive They Mean Attacking

Fort Montgomery By The Way Of The Clove. I Have Sent My Baggage And

Some Forces There. The Enemy Must Be Attended To. You Will Therefore

Halt In The Nearest Place That Is Convenient Upon The Receipt Of This.

Keep A Good Look-Out Towards Newark, Elizabethtown, &C., Or Those

Places From Whence They Can March Into Pumpton. Should You Be In

Danger Of Being Interrupted There, Throw Your Party Across The River

In Pumpton, And Defend The Bridge, If Practicable. If Not, Make The

Best Retreat You Can Towards Morristown, &C. But By No Means Proceed

Unless Necessity Urges, Derived From The Present Object. In Every

Thing Else Pursue Your Best Discretion.

 

 

I Am, Sir, Your Humble Servant,

 

 

I. Varnum.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 101

The Following Note From General Conway Tends To Prove, That Although

Burr Was Only A Lieutenant-Colonel In 1777, Yet That He Was Actually

Received And Treated As The Commandant Of His Regiment, From Which He

Was Never Absent. Colonel Malcolm, In General, Was Employed On Other

Duty.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 102

From General Conway.

 

 

29Th October, 1777.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Have Received A Letter From Captain Kearsley Respecting The

Settlement Of The Rank Of The Captains And Subalterns. I Could Not

Give Him An Immediate Answer, Because I Was Then Attending A

Court-Martial. I Wish This Matter Was Settled As Soon As Possible To

The Satisfaction Of The Officers Of Your Regiment. The General

Officers Being Employed In Several Courts-Martial, Which, Along With

The Camp-Duty, Will Take Up All Their Time, I Think You Had Best Apply

To The Adjutant-General. Know From Him The Manner In Which The Ranks

Of The Virginia And Pennsylvania Officers Have Been Settled, And

Arrange Accordingly, At Least Pro Tempore, The Rank Of Your Gentlemen.

 

 

I Am, Sir, Your Most Obedient And Humble Servant,

 

 

T. Conway.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 103

The Regiment Joined The Army In November, 1777, At Whitemarsh, In

Pennsylvania, Twenty Miles From Philadelphia. Colonel Burr, In Command

Of It, Was Stationed About Half A Mile In Advance Of The Main Body.

After A Few Weeks, The Army Went Into Winter-Quarters At Valley Forge.

During The Winter, Colonel Burr Proposed To General Washington An

Expedition Against Staten Island. He Stated To The Commander-In-Chief

That He Was Personally And Well Acquainted With Many Of The

Inhabitants In The Vicinity Of The Island. That He Believed They Would

Join Him As Volunteers; And That He Only Asked Two Hundred Men Of His

Own Regiment As A Nucleus. General Washington Declined Granting The

Request. But Subsequently, An Unsuccessful Attempt Was Made Under The

Command Of Lord Stirling.

 

 

Within Eight Or Ten Miles Of Valley Forge, There Was A Narrow And

Important Pass, Known As The Gulf.

Chapter VIII (From Lieutenant Robert Hunter To Gabriel Furman) Pg 104