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

Footnote Pg 140

 

 

 

1. There Were Two Families Of Van Schaicks In The State Of New-York.

They Spelled Their Names Differently. The Family Of Colonel _Van

Schaick_ Were Revolutionary Whigs. The _Van Schaacks_ Were Adherents

Of The Crown.

Chapter X Pg 141

 

 

 

To General Malcolm.

 

 

White Plains, 21St January, 1779.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

Mr. Benjamin Sands, And Three Other Persons From Long Island, Banished

For Malepractices, Wait On You With This. Benjamin Sands, Jun. Appears

To Be A Man Of Good Understanding. He Can Give You A Detail Of Their

Sufferings.

 

 

Captain Black And Three Subalterns Of Malcolm'S Regiment Joined Me

Yesterday.

 

 

William Burtis Goes Under Guard To You To-Morrow. Also A Garret

Duyckman, Whom I Took Upon Information Of Burtis. I Knew Of Burtis

Having Drove Cattle Before The Receipt Of Your Letter. Of His Being A

Spy I Know Nothing. Burtis Wishes To Procure Favour By Giving

Information. I Enclose His Confession To Me, That You May Compare It

With His Story To You. He Has Not Told Me All He Knows, I Am

Convinced. I Can Secure Elijah Purdy Any Time If You Direct. There Is

No Danger In Delaying Till I Can Hear From You. I Wish To Clear The

Country Of These Rascals. It Would Be Of Infinite Service To Hang A

Few Up In This Neighbourhood.

 

 

The Two Parties From Nixon'S Brigade, Which Came Under Sergeant'S Last

Week, Are So Distressed For Clothes, That I Am Obliged To Send Them To

Their Regiments. They Came Provided But For One Week. Lieutenant

Wottles Marches Them Up. I Wish Him To Return With The Re-Enforcement.

I Have Sent The Corporal And Sixty-Nine Men To Bedford. I Have Now

About 170 Privates. A Single Company, And Twelve From Hammond'S

Regiment, Join Me To-Day. That Is His Complement.

 

 

A Commissary Of Hides At This Place Can Furnish Me With Shoes As I

Want Them, If You Will Give An Order For That Purpose. He Delivers

None Without A General Order. I Can Purchase Rum Here At Twenty

Dollars Per Gallon. There Is No Commissary Of Purchases.

 

 

There Are A Number Of Women Here Of Bad Character, Who Are Continually

Running To New-York And Back Again. If They Were Men, I Should Flog

Them Without Mercy.

 

 

It Was The Indolence Of The Commissary, And Not The Real Scarcity Of

Wheat, Which Alarmed Me. I Shall Not Trouble You Again On The Score Of

Flour. I Send You Two Papers By The Sergeant.

 

 

Yours Respectfully,

 

 

 A. Burr.

Chapter X Pg 142

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Peekskill, January 22, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

There Are Reasons, Which I Shall Explain To You At A Proper Time, Why

----- Should Not Be Sought After. Make A Great Noise About Him; Abuse

Him As The Vilest Of Horse Thieves, And A Spy For The Enemy; But Send

No Parties After Him. If You Are Told Where He Is, Turn Off The Matter

By Some Pretext Or Other. Don'T Carry This Out On Party, Or Out Of

Your Quarters To Any Unsafe Place.

 

 

Yours Affectionately,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter X Pg 143

From William Paterson.

 

 

January 27Th.

 

 

I Am At The Hermitage, My Dear Burr, And Cannot Forbear Writing You A

Few Lines, Although I Expected, Before This Time, To Have Been

Favoured With A Letter From You. Mrs. Prevost Informs Me That There Is

The Most Flattering Prospect Of Your Soon Being Reinstated In Your

Health. The Intelligence Gives Me Real Pleasure, And The More So,

Because, Until Mrs. Prevost Told Me, I Had No Idea Of Your Disorder

Being So Rooted And Dangerous. May Health Soon Revisit You, My Good

Friend; And When It Does, May It Continue With You For Years. I Am

Pleased With The Hope Of Seeing You In Jersey Early In The Spring. I

Shall Be This Way Again In March, When Perhaps I Shall Meet You At

This Place. I Write This Standing In The Midst Of Company. I Am Called

Off To Court, And Therefore, For This Time, Adieu.

 

 

William Paterson.

Chapter X Pg 144

From Major Platt, Aid To General Mcdougall.

 

 

Peekskill, January 26Th, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

Captain Wiley, Of Learned'S Brigade, Will Hand You This. He Brings

With Him Forty Men, I Believe As Good As Any In The Army. 'Tis The

General'S Intention That Nixon'S, Paterson'S, And The Late Learned'S

Brigades, Shall Each Furnish A Party Of Sixty. You Will Please, After

Selecting The Best Men For Your Parties, To Order All The Rest (Save

Your Own And Commissary'S Guard) To Join Their Corps, As They Complain

The Duty Is Hard Above. Either Captain Williams Or Spur Must Leave

You, As Captain Wiley Will Command The Party From Learned'S. If There

Are Three Subs For Each Party Exclusive Of Those From Your Own

Regiment, You Can Detain The Whole Of The Subs Of Other Brigades Or

Not, As You Like.

 

 

Kearsley Has Not Yet Joined. The General Will Review All Your Letters

In A Day Or Two, And Give Them Full Answers.

 

 

I Am Your Most Obedient Servant,

 

 

Richard Platt, Aid-De-Camp.

Chapter X Pg 145

To General Mcdougall.

 

 

White Plains, January 29Th, 1779.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

I Had This Day The Favour Of Yours By Lieutenant Rost. The Same

Gentleman Brought Me A Re-Enforcement Of Thirty-Nine Privates, And A

Proportion Of Officers. This Enables Me To Send To Camp A Few Of The

Worst Provided Of The Nine-Months Men. The Returning Party Takes Up

The Prisoners Mentioned In My Last, And A Deserter. Two More Of

Malcolm'S Officers Have Joined Me.

 

 

I Enclose You A Copy Of A Letter From Colonel Holdridge. The

Enterprise Appears To Me Something Romantic; But I Have Acquainted

Colonel Holdridge Of The Steps I Shall Take Should It Prove Serious,

And Have Appointed A Place Near This To Meet Him, If He Thinks It

Necessary. The Number, Disposition, And Apparent Intentions Of The

Enemy Will Point Out Our Duty. I Am This Evening Told, By Good

Authority, That Emerick Is Re-Enforced, Either By Volunteer Or

Enlisted Refugees, To The Amount Of 4 Or 500, And That There Are

Strong Symptoms Of An Excursion. I Shall Pay Due Attention To These

Reports And Authorities.

 

 

These Two Days Past I Have Taken A Particular View Of The Country And

Roads From White Plains To Mamaroneck, Rye, And Sawpits. I Find It

Much Easier Protected, And More Secure, Than The Western Part Of This

County. From The Bronx To Mamaroneck River, Through White Plains, Is

Three Miles. There Are Very Few Fords Or Bridges On Either Of Those

Rivers. Might It Not Be Of Service To Draw A Line, If But For A Few

Days, From Bronx To Rye, Or Mamaroneck? The Purchase Would Be

Certainly A Ridiculous Post.

 

 

The Map Is Herewith Sent. Lieutenant Chatburn, Who Has Business At

West Point, Will Deliver This.

 

 

Yours Respectfully,

 

 

A. Burr.

Chapter X Pg 146

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Headquarters, Peekskill, 6Th February, 1779.

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

I Have Devoted Part Of This Night To Review Your Letters, And To Give

Them Some Kind Of Answers. I Can Only Mention Ideas. I Leave You To

Dilate Them.

 

 

The Bearer Is One Of The Sentries Who Was Partly The Occasion Of The

Late Misfortune. I Have Reproved Them Severely, Which I Hope Will Have

The Desired Effect. For The Future, Order The Sentry Who Does Not Fire

The Alarm One Hundred Lashes, And The Like Number To Any Who Shall

Part With His Arms Without Its Being Wrested From Him By The Enemy;

And A Reward Of Twenty Dollars To Any Non-Commissioned Officer Or

Soldier Who Shall Bring In Such Arms. Publish This In Orders.

 

 

I Am Fully Sensible Of Your Embarrassments And Difficulties, For Want

Of Vigilant Officers And Discipline. Be It Your Honour To Surmount

Them. Accept Of My Thanks For Your Attention To The Service. Order One

Pound And A Half Of Flour Or Bread, And The Like Quantity Of Meat, To

Each Man, Till