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

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 130

From General Washington.

 

 

Headquarters, Fredericksburgh, 26Th October, 1778.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Have Your Favour Of The 24Th. You, In My Opinion, Carry Your Ideas

Of Delicacy Too Far When You Propose To Drop Your Pay While The

Recovery Of Your Health Necessarily Requires Your Absence From The

Service. It Is Not Customary, And It Would Be Unjust. You Therefore

Have Leave To Retire Until Your Health Is So Far Re-Established As To

Enable You To Do Your Duty. Be Pleased To Give The Colonel Notice Of

This, That He May Know Where To Call Upon You Should Any Unforeseen

Exigency Require It.

 

 

I Am Your Obedient Servant,

 

 

G. Washington.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 131

On The Receipt Of The Above Letter, Colonel Burr Repaired To West

Point And Joined His Regiment, Notwithstanding The Shattered State Of

His Constitution. He Was Unwilling To Absent Himself From The Service,

And At The Same Time Receive Pay. Colonel Burr Was Now In His

Twenty-Third Year, And Yet So Youthful Was His Appearance, That

Strangers, On A First Introduction, Viewed Him As A Mere Boy. As

Evidence Of The Fact, He Has Often Related With Great Good-Humour This

Anecdote. While He Was Commanding At West Point, A Countryman Had Some

Business To Transact With Him.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 132

He Requested Admittance To Colonel

Burr. The Orderly Sergeant Conducted Him Into Headquarters.

 

 

"Sir," Said The Countryman, "I Wish To See Colonel Burr, As I Have

Something To Say To Him."

 

 

"You May Proceed. I Am Colonel Burr."

 

 

"I Suppose," Rejoined The Honest Farmer, "You Are Colonel Burr'S Son."

 

 

The Sentinel At The Door Heard And Repeated The Conversation, And Burr

Was Often Afterwards Designated As Colonel Burr'S Son. He Remained At

West Point Until December, When He Was Removed To Haverstraw By The

Orders Of General Mcdougall, And Had The Command Of A Brigade,

Consisting Of Malcolm'S Regiment, And A Portion Of Spencer'S And

Patten'S Regiments. He Was Subsequently Ordered To Take Command On The

Lines In Westchester County, A Most Important And Not Less Perilous

Post. In December, He Received From Mrs. J. Montgomery, The Widow Of

General Montgomery, A Letter, As Follows :--

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 133

From Mrs. Montgomery.

 

 

Rhinebeck, December 25Th, 1775.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Take The Liberty To Enclose A List Of Things Mr. Smith Was So Kind

As To Send Me From New-York By The Return Flag. The Captain Of The

Flag, Of Whom I Made Some Inquiries, Professed To Know Nothing Of

Them, And Referred Me To Colonel Burr, Who Might Know Something Of The

Matter.

 

 

I Am Almost Ashamed To Take Up Your Attention About So Small An

Affair; But The Difficulty That Attends Obtaining The Least Article Of

Dress, Must, I Think, Plead My Apology. Besides, Having This

Opportunity, I Would Wish To Assure Colonel Burr Of The Very Great

Respect I Have For Those Gentlemen Whom General Montgomery Professed

To Esteem; Among Which, Sir, I Am Told You Was Not The Least. To Be By

Him Distinguished Argues A Superior Merit, And Will Ensure You A Most

Sincere Welcome At Rhinebeck Should It Lie In Your Way.

 

 

I Am, Sir, With Esteem, Yours, &C.

 

 

J. Montgomery

 

 

Colonel Burr.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 134

On Taking Command Of The Lines In Westchester, Colonel Burr Received

From Brother Officers Congratulatory Letters, So Distinguished Was The

Station Considered. Colonel Udney Hay, Under Date Of The 29Th Of

January, 1779, Says, "As You Have Now Got The Post Of Honour, Accept

Of My Sincere Wishes That You May Reap The Laurels I Believe You

Deserve."

 

 

As Soon As Burr Arrived At The Camp, He Commenced A System Of Reform

And Discipline. Previous To His Arrival, There Was Exhibited A Most

Disgraceful Scene Of Plunder, And Sometimes Of Murder, Along The Whole

Frontier. This He Promptly Checked; And, In All His Efforts To

Accomplish This End, He Was Sustained By General Mcdougall.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 135

To General Mcdougall.

 

 

Camp, White Plains, 12Th January, 1779.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

The Enclosed Return Will Show You The Deficiency Of Officers And Men

At This Post. Above The Complement For The Parties, I Wish To Have A

Guard For Myself, And A Commissary'S Guard. To Detail Men For These

Purposes Will Interfere With The Rotation Of Duty.

 

 

I Arrived Here On Friday Evening. The Weather On Saturday Was Too

Severe And Stormy To Permit Me To Make Myself Acquainted With The Post

And Disposition Of The Troops. I Improved Yesterday For Those

Purposes, And Found It Necessary To Alter The Position. I Have Moved

The Left Three Miles Forward, And The Two Centre Divisions So As To

Allign With That And Tarrytown. The Posts Now Possessed By These

Detachments Are,

 

 

_First._ Tarrytown.

 

 

_Second._ Isaac Reed'S And John Hammond'S, Near Sawmill River.

 

 

_Third._ Starr'S And Moses Miller'S, One And A Half Miles In Front Of

Young'S.

 

 

_Fourth._ Merritt'S And Neighbouring Houses, Near Farmer Oakley'S.

 

 

By This Arrangement The Extent Of My Command Is Contracted Three

Miles, And The Distance From My Left To The Sound Is Three Miles Less

Than Before. The Men More Compact, And The Posts Equidistant From The

Enemy. While I Was Upon The Business Above Mentioned, Colonel

Littlefield And Mr. Thomas Visited Colonel Enos And Lieutenant-Colonel

Holdridge, To Enforce The Necessity Of An Immediate Junction, To

Complete The Security Of The Country Upon The Present Plan; But These

Gentlemen Say They Have No Orders To Cross Biram River. They Have

Their Quarters In Horseneck, And Some Troops Are North Of That Place.

Thus, Notwithstanding My Endeavours, The Country Will Be Unprotected,

And I Am Insecure.

 

 

I Enclose You The Arrest Of A Captain Brown. I Am Sorry For The

Necessity Of Any Thing Which May Have The Appearance Of Severity; But

The Avowal Of Behaviour So Very Unbecoming Constrained Me To It. The

Required Parties Of Militia Will, I Believe, Join Me This Week. I

Shall Write You About Iron-Bound Casks In A Few Days. There Is Not A

Hide, The Property Of The Country, In All This Quarter, Except

Fourteen In The Hands Of The Commissary Of Hides. I Shall, As Soon As

Possible, Make Myself Acquainted With The Officers Of The Militia. I

Have Sent To Bedford, But Have No Answer, About Rum, &C.

 

 

I Send The Names Of A Few Of Malcolm'S Officers, Whom I Would Wish

Were Ordered To Join Me Immediately. Some Of Them, I Believe, Are

Absent. Lieutenant-Colonel Littlefield Had It In Intention To Go With

Most Of The Men This Evening On An Expedition To West Farms And

Morrisania. Abstracted From Your Verbal Instructions, The Plan

Appeared To Me Premature. The Men Here Are Not Half Officered; The

Country By No Means Sufficiently Reconnoitred; The Force Very

Inadequate, Even For Covering Parties. As There Was A Prospect That

Each Of The Inconveniences Would Shortly Be Removed, I Advised To

Defer It. To Convince Them That My Disapprobation Arose From No

Jealousy Of Honour, I Told Colonel Littlefield That If The Enterprise

Should Hereafter Be Thought More Advisable, I Would Leave To Him The

Execution: If I Should Think Proper To Send Him On That Command, I

Would Act With The Covering Party. One Hundred And Fifty Continentals

And Fifty Militia Was The Force Proposed For This Evening; But As

There Are A Number Of Volunteers On The Spot, I Consented To And

Encouraged An Excursion To Frog'S Neck, Under Colonel Littlefield. I

Expect Little From It, But Have Not So Much To Fear.

 

 

I Hope Mr. Stagg Succeeded In His Application To Mr. Erskine. A

Draught Of The Country Would Be Of Great Service To Me. In Your

Instructions About Plunder, You Direct That All The Fat Horses, &C. In

The Hands Of Disaffected Persons, "Lying Certain Courses," Are To Be

Taken, On The Supposition That They Are Designed For, Or Will Fall

Into The Hands Of, The Enemy. As This Mode Of Determining May Be The

Source Of Much Altercation, I Could Wish, If You Thought Proper, The

Seizable Property Might Be Designated By A Certain Number Of Miles

Below Our Lines, Or Below The Line Intended To Be Formed From

Tarrytown, Through White Plains, To Sawpits Or Rye.

 

 

The Two Parties From Paterson'S Brigade Will Most Of Them Want Shoes

In Ten Days. It Is My Opinion That A Great Part Of Those Who Came Last

With New Shoes, Will Not, At The Expiration Of The Time, Be Able To

Return For The Want Of Shoes. Those They Now Have Are Of The Slightest

French