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

Make; Many Already Worn Out. If These Men Must Be Again

Relieved By Others Better Shod, And They Again In A Few Days, There

Will Be Such An Endless Marching And Countermarching As Will Harass

The Troops, And Wear Out More Shoes Than All The Duty Performed Here.

Would Not These Evils Be In Some Measure Remedied By Sending Me A

Parcel Of Shoes? I Will Keep An Exact Account Of The Regiment They Are

Delivered To.

 

 

Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 136

To General Mcdougall.

 

 

White Plains, January 13Th, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

All The Horsemen Were So Infatuated With The Itch For Scouting, That I

Had Not One To Despatch With The Letter Herewith Sent. Colonel

Littlefield, With The Party, Returned This Morning. They Brought Up

One Prisoner. I Shall Send Him Up With Another Grand Rascal To-Morrow.

There Are Evidences Enough Against Merritt To Hang A Dozen Such, But

Many Of Them Dare Not Appear At Present.

 

 

Notwithstanding The Cautions I Gave, And Notwithstanding Colonel

Littlefield'S Good Intentions, I Blush To Tell You That The Party

Returned Loaded With Plunder. Sir, Till Now, I Never Wished For

Arbitrary Power. I Could Gibbet Half A Dozen _Good Whigs_, With All

The Venom Of An Inveterate Tory. The Party Had Not Been Returned An

Hour, Before I Had Six Or Seven Persons From New-Rochelle And Frog'S

Neck, With Piteous Applications For Stolen Goods And Horses. Some Of

These Persons Are Of The Most Friendly Families. I Am Mortified That

Not An Officer On The Ground Has Shown Any Activity To Detect The

Plunderers Or Their Spoil. I Have Got Three Horses, And A Number Of

Other Articles, And Have Confined Two Soldiers Who Had Them In

Possession. But These Are Petty Rascals. I Feel More Pity Than

Indignation Towards Them. They Were Honest Men Till Debauched By This

Expedition. I Believe Some Officers Are Concerned. If I Can Be Assured

Of That (And I Shall Spare No Labour), You May Depend On Seeing Them

With A File Of Men. The Militia Volunteers Excelled In This Business.

If I Detect Them I Shall Treat Them With The Same Rigour, Unless You

Advise To The Contrary. I Wish You Would Give Me Directions. I Have At

Least A Fortnight'S Work Before Me To Undo The Doings Of Last Night.

 

 

This Day I Enter On My Command. Truly An Ominous Commencement. Is This

The Promised Protection? I Read In The Face Of Every Child I Pass; For

The Whole _Honour_ Of The Expedition Redounds To Me. But Enough Of

This; More Perhaps Than You Will Thank Me For. Webbers Was Of The

Party, And Can Give You A History. I Now Perceive From Whence Arose

The Ardour For Scouting. I Suppose The Sergeants' Parties Of Militia,

When They Join Me, Will Be Subject To Courts Of The Line.

 

 

Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 137

From Major Platt, Aid To General Mcdougall.

 

 

Peekskill, January 14Th, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

The General Has Received Yours, And Directs Me To Inform You That Such

Assistance Will Be Granted As Is Necessary For The Protection Of The

Country And Your Honour.

 

 

He Desires That No Expedition Be Set On Foot Till You Hear Further

From Him. He Has No Objections To Colonel Littlefield'S Remaining With

You Till The Arrival Of More Officers.

 

 

Handcuffs Will Be Sent You As Soon As They Can Be Made. If You Have A

Number Of Prisoners At Any Time To Send Up, Let Them Be Fastened Right

And Left Hands, And The Guard Cut The Strings Of Their Breeches, And

There Will Be No Danger Of Their Making Their Escape, As They Will Be

Obliged To Hold Them Up Continually With One Hand.

 

 

Last Evening Josiah Fowler Made His Escape From The Provost; Possibly

He May Fall Into The Hands Of Your Scouts Or Patrols. If He Does,

Please To Take The Best Care Of Him.

 

 

The General Will Write You Fully By The Captain Who Will Soon

Re-Enforce You. One Hundred Pair Of Shoes Will Be Sent You. The Map Of

The Country Is Herewith Transmitted, For The Purpose Of Taking A

Sketch Of It. You Will Please To Do It As Soon As Possible, And Send

It Up By A Careful Hand. The General Does Not Wish You Ever To Carry

It From Your Quarters.

 

 

Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

 

Richard Platt, Aid-De-Camp.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 138

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Headquarters, Peekskill, January 15Th, 1779.

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

Your Favours Of The 11Th And 12Th, With Their Enclosures, Came Duly To

Hand.

 

 

I Am Much Mortified That Captain Brown Should Have Merited Your

Putting Him In An Arrest. But You Have Done Your Duty, For Which

Accept My Thanks.

 

 

If An Officer Commanding An Outpost Will Not Be Very Vigilant, He

Exposes His Party To Be Butchered, As The Unfortunate Colonel Balor

Lately Experienced.

 

 

I Am Very Sorry The Militia Have Conducted So Disorderly; But I Wish

You To Deal Tenderly With Them, As They Are Brave, And Are Very Sore,

By The Plundering Of The Tories. But Support The Honour Of Our Arms

And Your Own, By Giving Redress To The Innocent And Defenceless.

 

 

As The Principal Objects Of Your Command Are To Protect The Good

People Of These States, And Prevent Supplies Going To The Enemy, You

Will Not Send Out Any Parties, Or Make Any Excursions, But What Are

Necessary For Intelligence, And The Preservation Of Your Parties, Till

Further Orders. Your Own Ideas On This Subject Fully Meet My

Approbation. In The Meantime, Let All The Officers And Men Of Your

Command, Who Are Unacquainted With The Ground, Traverse It

Alternately, From Flank To Flank, And As Many Miles In Front As You

May Judge Necessary. The Position Of The Whole I Leave To Your Own

Discretion, As Circumstances Shall Arise. A Good Captain, And Twenty

Picked Men, Of Nixon'S, With Two Drums, Accompany This, To Re-Enforce

Your Left, And The Orders Are Despatched To Major Pawling For The

Officers You Wrote For. One Hundred Pair Of Shoes_ Will Be Sent To You

By This Snow.

 

 

Send Up All Burgoyne'S Men, With A Good Corporal And Small Party Of

The Nine-Months Men, With The First Deserters Or Prisoners. The

Sergeants' Parties Of The Militia Who Are To Join You, Will, By Their

Engagements, Be Under The Continental Articles Of War. If Any Of The

Militia Who May Go Out On Scouts Or Parties With Yours Will Not Submit

To The Articles Of War And Your Orders, Don'T Suffer Them To Go With

Them, Nor To Appropriate Any Plunder; But Order It To Be Given To The

Continental Troops, And Those Who Shall Submit To Those Articles.

 

 

If Any Of The Militia Maraud, Send Them Up To Me, With A Guard. They

Must Not Be Suffered To Violate Civil And Military Law. The

Legislature Is The Proper Authority To Enable Them To Make Reprisals.

For Whatever Disorders They Commit In Front Of Your Lines, Will Be

Placed By The Enemy To Your Account.

 

 

In All Doubtful Questions Which May Arise On My Orders As To The

Limits Or Legality Of Plunder In Your Front, _I Authorize You To Be

The Sole Judge._ In The Exercise Of This Trust, It Is My Wish You

Should Lean To The Honour Of Our Arms.

 

 

A Surgeon Is Directed To Attend Your Party; When He Arrives, Please To

Advise Me Of It, That I May Be Relieved From All Anxiety About You And

Your Corps. If You Are Not Supplied With Rum Before A Quantity Of It

Arrives Here, We Shall Not Forget You. If Your Horsemen Are Mounted

And Appointed, As Well As Your Horse-Guides, They Will Receive The

Same Pay. If The Oxen At Mr. Hunter'S Are Not In Working Order, Put

Them In The Care Of Your Forage-Master Till They Are.

 

 

If You Can Get The Articles Taken From The Inhabitants In The Late

Expedition Restored, Let The Militia Off For That Offence. When You

Get Things In Train, I Flatter Myself You Will Not Have Any Fixture

Trouble With Them. But The Officers Of The Regular Troops Must Be

Rigorously Dealt With, According To Our Martial Law.

 

 

As You And The Commissary Will Be In The Rear Of The Whole, The

Nine-Months Men, Worse Shod Than The Other Troops, May Serve Till I

Have More Leisure To Complete Your Corps.

 

 

Don'T Omit Sending To Me All The Newspapers You Can Procure. I Am So

Borne Down With Correspondence, That I Can Only Add That

 

 

I Am Your Affectionate Humble Servant,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter IX (From The Commissioners To Colonel Burr) Pg 139

P. S. I Fear The Pickets From Your Parties Are Too Far Advanced From

Them. The Distance Ought Not To Exceed Half A Mile At Night; And The

Quarters Of The Pickets Should Be Changed Every Night After Dark.

Frequent Patrols From Each Give The Best Security.

 

 

I Submit It To Your Consideration Whether It Would Not Be Of Service

To Have A Quantity Of Old Rags Collected At Each Party And Picket, For

The Patrols To Muffle Their Feet With In Frosty Weather When There Is

No Snow On The Ground. It Will Prevent Their Being Heard By The Enemy,

And Yours Will Hear Those Of The Enemy If There Are Any Near Them.

 

 

A. M'D.