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

Himself Unable To Walk Without Great

Difficulty; And So Severely Was He Afflicted, That He Did Not Recover

From Its Effects For Some Years Afterwards. A Stranger To Complaints

Or Murmurs When Enduring Pain, The Real State Of His Health Was

Unknown To Even His Brother Officers. In This Situation He Was

Immediately Ordered By General Washington, Through Lord Stirling, To

Repair To Elizabethtown, On Highly Important And Confidential

Business. The Great Object Of The Commander-In-Chief Was To Ascertain,

As Far As Practicable, The Future Movements Of The Enemy, Sir Henry

Clinton Having Secured His Retreat To The City Of New-York. General

Washington Proceeded To New-Brunswick, At Which Place Lord Stirling

Was Attending As President Of The Court-Martial For The Trial Of

General Lee. The Following Notes Will Explain The Character Of Burr'S

Mission, And The Confidence Reposed In Him By The Commander-In-Chief.

Chapter IX Pg 116

From Lord Stirling.

 

 

Brunswick, July 4Th, 1778.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Have This Moment Received Yours Of Yesterday'S Date. On Showing It

To General Washington, He Approves Of The Progress Of Your Inquiries,

And Desires They May Be Continued. But He Particularly Desires Me To

_Send Off This Express To You_, To Request That You Will Endeavour To

Get All The Intelligence You Possibly Can From The City Of New-York:

What Are The Preparations Of Shipping For Embarcation Of Foot Or

Horse?--What Expeditions On Hand?--Whether Up The North River,

Connecticut, Or West Indies? For This Purpose You May Send One, Two,

Or Three Trusty Persons Over To The City, To Get The Reports, The

Newspapers, And The Truth, If They Can. We Are Just Going To Exhibit A

Grand Champetre And Feu De Joie, So Must Only Say That

 

 

I Am Sincerely Yours,

 

 

Stirling.

Chapter IX Pg 117

From Lord Stirling.

 

 

Brunswick, July 6Th, 1778,

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Have Your Letter Of Yesterday'S Date. The Court-Martial, Of Which I

Am President, Is Adjourned To Morristown, Which Will Oblige Me To Go

There To-Morrow. I Must Therefore Desire You Will Direct Your Letters,

With Such Intelligence As You May Procure, To His Excellency General

Washington, Who Will Be On The Line Of March With The Army. In Haste,

 

 

Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

 

Stirling.

Chapter IX Pg 118

From Lord Stirling.

 

 

Brunswick, July 6, 1778.

 

 

General Washington Desires Me To State That He Wishes You Would Employ

Three, Four, Or More Persons, To Go To Bergen Heights, Weehawk,

Hoebuck, Or Any Other Heights Thereabout, Convenient To Observe The

Motions Of The Enemy'S Shipping, And To Give Him The Earliest

Intelligence Thereof; Whether Up The River Particularly. In Short,

Every Thing Possible That Can Be Obtained.

 

 

Yours, &C.,

 

 

Stirling.

Chapter IX Pg 119

From Tench Tilghman.

 

 

Newark, July 8Th, 1778.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

His Excellency Desires Me To Inquire Whether You Have Received Any

Information Of The Enemy'S Movements, Situation, Or Design? He Will

Leave This Place About 4 O'Clock This Afternoon, Before Which He Will

Expect To Hear From You.

 

 

I Am, Dear Sir, Your Most Obedient,

 

 

Tench Tilghman.

Chapter IX Pg 120

Having Completed The Business On Which He Had Been Despatched By The

Commander-In-Chief, Colonel Burr Proceeded To Join His Regiment,

Although His Health Was Very Bad. In A Few Days He Received The

Following Order:--

 

 

Camp, Near Croton Bridge, 19Th July, 1778.

 

 

Colonel Malcolm'S Regiment Is Ordered To March At Two O'Clock

To-Morrow Morning, To The Fort At West Point, On Hudson River, With

The Regiment Commanded By Lieutenant-Colonel Parker, Which Is To Join

On The Road Near Croton Bridge. The Commander Of The Two Regiments

Will Make All Convenient Despatch, Marching Ten Miles A Day, As Water

And Ground Will Admit.

 

 

The Baron De Kalb.

 

 

 

Early In July, 1778, In Consequence Of Sir Henry Clinton Having

Arrived In New-York With His Army, Much Excitement And Some

Apprehension Existed In The Upper Part Of The State Respecting The

Tories. The Legislature Had Previously Adopted Rigid Measures On The

Subject, And It Became Necessary That An Intelligent And Confidential

Military Officer Should Be Designated To Take Charge Of Them. General

Washington Selected Colonel Burr For This Purpose, The Trust Was One

Of A Delicate Character.

Chapter IX Pg 121

From Robert Benson.

 

 

Camp, White Plains, 2D August, 1778.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

By An Act Of The Legislature Of The State Of New-York, The

Commissioners For Detecting And Defeating Conspiracies, &C., Were

Directed To Tender An Oath Of Allegiance, In The Said Act Prescribed,

To Certain Persons, Inhabitants Of This State, Who Have Affected To

Observe, During The Present War, A Dangerous And Equivocal Neutrality;

And On Their Refusal To Take The Same, That The Said Commissioners

Should Cause Them To Be Conveyed Within The Enemy'S Lines. In

Consequence Whereof, Sundry Persons, To Whom The Said Oath Hath Been

Tendered, And Who Have Refused To Take The Same, Were By The

Commissioners Directed To Rendezvous At Fishkill, On Monday Next, In

Order To Embark On Board A Sloop To Be Provided At That Place For The

Purpose.

 

 

In Order That This Business Might Be Conducted With As Little Danger

As Possible To The Operations Of The Present Campaign, His Excellency

Governor Clinton Requested His Excellency The Commander-In-Chief To

Appoint An Officer Of The Army For The Purpose; And You Being Assigned

To This Business, His Excellency Governor Clinton Hath Directed Me, In

His Name, To Request You To Repair To Fishkill On Monday Next, &C.

 

 

If By Any Accident You Should Not Find The Commissioners At Fishkill,

His Excellency Will Be Much Obliged To You If You Would Ride Up To

Poughkeepsie, Where The Board Are Sitting.

 

 

I Am, With Great Respect, Yours, &C.,

 

 

Robert Benson, Secretary.

Chapter IX Pg 122

P. S. Enclosed Is The Flag; And His Excellency The Governor Desires

You Will Fill The Blank With The Name Of The Sloop, And The Names Of

The Persons Who May Be Put On Board By The Commissioners.

 

 

_At A Meeting Of The Board Of Commissioners For Detecting And

Defeating Conspiracies, Held At Poughkeepsie, August 3D, 1778._

 

 

Present--Mr. Platt, Mr. Harpur, Mr. Cantine, And Mr. Wynkoop.

Chapter IX Pg 123

The Board Having Received A Letter From His Excellency Governor

Clinton, Dated At Camp, White Plains, The Second Instant, Informing

That His Excellency General Washington Had Appointed

Lieutenant-Colonel Burr To Conduct Such Persons As Had Refused To Take

The Oath Of Allegiance To This State, Prescribed By An Act Of The

Legislature Thereof, Within The Enemy'S Lines; Therefore,

 

 

_Resolved_, That Colonel Burr Be Served With A Copy Of The Proceedings

Of This Board Against William Smith And Cadwallader Colden, Esquires,

And Mr. Roeliff J. Eltinge; And That He Is Hereby Authorized To Remove

Each And Every One Of Them Within The Enemy'S Lines, In Such Way And

Manner As His Excellency General Washington May Have Already