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

Directed,

Or Hereafter Shall Direct.

 

 

Extracts From The Minutes, By Order,

 

 

Teunis Tappan, Secretary To The Board.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 124

Poughkeepsie, August 3D, 1778.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

The Commissioners For Conspiracies Being Informed By His Excellency

The Governor Of Your Appointment To Receive At Fishkill Such Persons

As Have Refused To Take The Oath Prescribed By A Law Of This State,

And Who, By Virtue Of The Said Law, Are To Be Sent Into The Enemy'S

Lines, By Us Appointed To Carry The Same Into Execution; In

Consequence Of This, We Hereby Send You William Smith, Cadwallader

Colden, Esquires, And Mr. Roeliff J. Eltinge, Who Have Refused To Take

The Said Oath, And Thereby Have Subjected Themselves To A Removal

Within The Said Lines, Which Removal You Will Be Pleased To Take

Charge Of.

 

 

The Bearer, Cornelius E. Wynkoop, Esquire, Is One Of The Board, To

Whom We Refer You For Such Particulars As May Be Necessary To Adjust,

The More Effectually To Enable Us To Convey, In Future, Such Gentlemen

As The Above Over Into The Enemy'S Lines.

 

 

We Are, Sir, With Respect,

 

 

Your Most Obedient Servants,

 

 

  Zepha. Platt,       )

  Robert Harpur,      ) Commissioners.

  Peter Cantine, Jun.,)

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 125

From Theodore Sedgwick.

 

 

Kinderhook, August 7Th, 1778.

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

I Write You In Haste By Mr. Van Schaack, [1] Who Will Convey It To You

Should You Be At West Point. This Gentleman Has, By Long Acquaintance,

Manifested Such Qualities As Have Much Attached Me To His Interest;

But, Most Unfortunately For His Friends, Has Differed In Political

Opinions From The Body Of The Community In General, And From Me In

Particular, In Consequence Of Which Difference (By Means Of The Test

Act Of This State) He Is About To Be Removed To The City Of New-York;

And Has Been So Obliging As To Offer Me His Assistance In Procuring

For, And Sending To Me, A Few Family Necessaries. Should It Be In Your

Power, I Am Very Certain It Would Be An Unnecessary Request To Desire

You To Lend Me Any Assistance: Nor Need I Desire You To Render Mr. Van

Schaack'S Short Stay Among You As Agreeable As His And Your

Circumstances Will Permit.

 

 

I Most Sincerely Congratulate You On The Happy Prospect Of A Speedy

Termination To The War. I Believe I Shall Visit The Camp Soon, In

Which Case You Will Have The Pleasure To See Mr. Edwards In Company. I

Have, Since I Saw You, Become The Father Of A Second Daughter. Pamela

Has Had A Most Tedious And Dangerous Illness, But Is, Thank God, Now,

For Her, Very Well. You May Be Sure She Will Be Glad To Be

Affectionately Remembered By You.

 

 

Yours Most Sincerely,

 

 

Theodore Sedgwick.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 126

It Has Heretofore Been Stated That Colonel Burr Was Of The Lee And

Gates Party In The Army. A Short Note From Lee To Burr Will Show The

Poignancy Of The General'S Feelings Under The Sentence Of The

Court-Martial, And The Mortification And Disappointment He Experienced

When Congress Refused To Reverse That Sentence.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 127

From General Lee.

 

 

October, 1778.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

As You Are So Kind As To Interest Yourself So Warmly In My Favour, I

Cannot Resist The Temptation Of Writing You A Few Lines. Till These

Two Days, I Was Convinced The Congress Would Unanimously Have

Rescinded The Absurd, Shameful Sentence Of The Court-Martial; But,

Within These Two Days, I Am Taught To Think That Equity Is To Be Put

Out Of The Question, And The Decision Of The Affair To Be Put Entirely

On The Strength Of Party; And, For My Own Part, I Do Not See How It Is

Possible, If The Least Decency Or Regard For National Dignity Has

Place, That It Can Be Called A Party Business.

 

 

I Wish I Could Send You The Trial, And Will The Moment I Can Obtain

One. I Think Myself, And I Dare Say You Will Think On The Perusal,

That The Affair Redounds More To My Honour, And The Disgrace Of My

Persecutors, Than, In The Warmth Of Indignation, Either I Or My

Aid-De-Camps Have Represented It. As I Have No Idea That A Proper

Reparation Will Be Made To My Injured Reputation, It Is My Intent,

Whether The Sentence Is Reversed Or Not Reversed, To Resign My

Commission, Retire To Virginia, And Learn To Hoe Tobacco, Which I Find

Is The Best School To Form A Consummate _General_. This Is A Discovery

I Have Lately Made. Adieu. Dear Sir, Believe Me To Be Your Most

 

 

Sincerely Obliged Servant,

 

 

C. Lee.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 128

After The Battle Of Monmouth, In June, 1778, Colonel Burr Was

Constantly Employed. His Health, From The Fatigues Of That And The

Subsequent Day, Was Greatly Impaired. Early In October, He Found

Himself, In A Measure, Unfit For Active Service. He Left West Point,

Where His Regiment Was Stationed, And Repaired To Elizabethtown, In

The Hope That A Few Weeks Of Repose Might Prove Beneficial; But In

These Hopes He Was Sorely Disappointed. He Then Determined To Ask A

Furlough, And Retire From The Army For A Few Months, Provided The

Furlough Was Granted Without His Receiving Pay. On This Point He Was

Very Fastidious. By These Feelings He Was Uniformly Governed Through A

Long Life. He Never Sought Nor Accepted An Office For The Emolument It

Afforded. He Wrote The Commander-In-Chief On The Subject, As

Follows:--

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 129

To General Washington.

 

 

Elizabethtown, 24Th October, 1778.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

The Excessive Heat And Occasional Fatigues Of The Preceding Campaign,

Have So Impaired My Health And Constitution As To Render Me Incapable

Of Immediate Service. I Have, For Three Months Past, Taken Every

Advisable Step For My Recovery, But Have The Mortification To Find,

Upon My Return To Duty, A Return Of Sickness, And That Every Relapse

Is More Dangerous Than The Former. I Have Consulted Several

Physicians; They All Assure Me That A Few Months Retirement And

Attention To My Health Are The Only Probable Means To Restore It. A

Conviction Of This Truth, And Of My Present Inability To Discharge The

Duties Of My Office, Induce Me To Beg Your Excellency'S Permission To

Retire From Pay And Duty Till My Health Will Permit, And The Nature Of

Service Shall More Particularly Require My Attention, Provided Such

Permission Can Be Given Without Subjecting Me To Any Disadvantage In

Point Of My Present Rank And Command, Or Any I Might Acquire During

The Interval Of My Absence.

 

 

I Shall Still Feel And Hold Myself Liable To Be Called Into Service At

Your Excellency'S Pleasure, Precisely As If In Full Pay, And Barely On

Furlough; Reserving To Myself Only The Privilege Of Judging Of The

Sufficiency Of My Health During The Present Appearance Of Inactivity.

My Anxiety To Be Out Of Pay Arises In No Measure From Intention Or

Wish To Avoid Any Requisite Service. But Too Great A Regard To

Malicious Surmises, And A Delicacy Perhaps Censurable, Might Otherwise

Hurry Me Unnecessarily Into Service, To The Prejudice Of My Health,

And Without Any Advantage To The Public, As I Have Had The Misfortune

Already To Experience.

 

 

I Am Encouraged In This Proposal By The Opinion Lord Stirling Has Been

Pleased To Express Of The Justice Of My Request;--The Sense Your

Excellency Must Entertain Of The Weak State Of The Corps In Which I

Have The Honour To Command, And The Present Sufficiency Of Its

Respective Officers. I Purpose Keeping My Quarters At This Place Until

I Have The Honour Of Your Excellency'S Answer, Which I Wait With

Impatience.

 

 

I Am, With Respect,

 

 

Your Humble Servant,

 

 

A. Burr.

 

 

His Excellency George Washington.