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

To You Immediately From King'S

Ferry, By Water. Leave A Small Party To Receive It, And A Cart To

Carry It Where You Shall Order It. As The Strength Of The Enemy Is Not

Mentioned, I Can Give No Other Orders.

 

 

Yours, &C.,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter X Pg 153

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Headquarters, 27Th February, 1779.

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

Your Favour Of Yesterday Reached Me At 8 P.M. It Was Immediately

Answered. Colonel Putnam Was Ordered To March And Join You; He Has

Taken Nixon'S Regiment With Him. Greaton'S Was Put In Motion At The

Same Time, To Join The Brigade, If The Enemy Did Not Continue To

Advance In Connecticut. At Half Past Ten Of The Same Evening, Five

Boxes Of Ammunition Was Sent To You From King'S Ferry, By Water, With

Orders To Keep Close In Shore, For Fear Of Accidents. I Hope It Has

Reached You. Your Letter Of This Day, At 7 A. M., Came To Hand An Hour

Ago. From The Reputed Strength Of The Enemy, I Am Pleased With Your

Position. I Think It Promises Success And Laurels. I Hope Bearmore

Will Smart For His Temerity. You Are All Too Remote From Me To Render

Orders Expedient. Circumstances Must Direct Your Movements. If The

Enemy _Move_, Or Appear In _Force_ On The River, Or A Movement On It

In Force Should _Apparently_ Be Intended, Send Up All Paterson'S

Detachments By _Forced_ Marches. I Commit You And Your Corps To The

Lord Of Hosts. Greaton Has Four Boxes Of Spare Ammunition. He Will Be

On The North Castle Road To The Plains.

 

 

Yours Affectionately,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter X Pg 154

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Headquarters, Peekskill, 6Th March, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

This Will Be Delivered To You By Mr. John Pine, Who Acted Last

Campaign As A Horse-Guide. He Is A True Friend To The Country.

Whenever He Shall Get Properly Mounted, And Reports Himself To You For

Service, Give Him A Certificate Of The Day, And Employ Him.

 

 

Enclosed You Have A List Of Horse-Thieves And Others Who Act Very

Prejudicial To Our Cause. I Wish To Have Them Taken And Sent Up Here.

Perhaps It Will Be Most Eligible To Make The Attempt On All At The

Same Time. But I Do Not Wish To Retard The Forage On Your Left, As

Those Posts Are In Great Want Of That Article.

 

 

I Am, Sir, Your Humble Servant,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter X Pg 155

From General Putnam.

 

 

Camp, Horse Neck, 9Th March, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

I Have Received A Letter From Colonel Emerick (British), Informing Me

That One Butler, Who Has Been A Prisoner In New-York, Being Unable To

Travel On Foot, Obtained Of Colonel Emerick A Dragoon And Two Horses

To Conduct Him Some Part Of His Way In The Country. That Butler Made

The Dragoon Drunk, Then Brought Him Off, Together With The Horses. The

Whole Of Which He, In His Letter, Makes A Demand To Be Returned.

 

 

Colonel Emerick Has Been Misinformed As To Butler'S Acting So

Faithless. The Truth Of The Matter Is, That Butler Wanted The Dragoon

To Return With The Horses, But That He (The Dragoon) Refused To Do,

And Swore He Would Never Return. I Would Advise You By All Means To

Send The Dragoon To Colonel Emerick In Irons, Together With The

Horses, As A Refusal Would Be Contrary To All Public Faith.

 

 

I Am, With The Greatest Respect,

 

 

Israel Putnam.

Chapter X Pg 156

From General Mcdougall.

 

 

Headquarters, Peekskill, 11Th March, 1779.

 

 

Sir,

 

 

Yours Of The 9Th Has Reached Me. If The Militia Of Colonel Drake'S Are

Good Men, Arm Them Of General Paterson'S, And I Will Replace Them To

Him. Take The Receipts Of Every Man Who Shall Be Armed By The Public,

And Send Them To Me. The Old General Is Not A Civilian. Send Colonel

Emerick The Enclosed Copy Of The Horseman'S Deposition. Stop No

Provisions, When Small Quantities Answer For The Purpose Of -----. The

Plunderers Will Be Punished On The Lines, But Tried Here. The Names Of

The Witnesses Are Wanting. What You Wrote For, To Answer Certain

Purposes, Shall Be Collected As Soon As Possible.

 

 

Give Me The True History Of The Facts Relative To The Mare Sold By

Wattles. He Quibbles. Did He Know The Printed Orders?--Was She Sold

Conformable? The Paymasters Will Be Ordered Down, And Soap Shall Be

Sent.

 

 

In Haste, Yours, &C.,

 

 

Alexander Mcdougall.

Chapter X Pg 157

The Preceding Correspondence Is Evidence Of The Military Character Of

Colonel Burr, And His Standing With General Mcdougall. Although His

Rank Was Only That Of A Lieutenant-Colonel, Yet He Was Constantly In

The Actual Command Of A Regiment, And Frequently Of A Brigade. His

Seniors Were Withdrawn From The Post (Which Was Generally A Post Of

Danger) Where He Was Stationed; Or Detachments Were Taken From

Different Regiments So As To Make Up For Him A Separate And

Independent Command. No Man Had A Better Opportunity Than Samuel

Young, Esq., Of Knowing Colonel Burr'S Habits And Conduct While

Stationed In Westchester. Mr. Young Was At One Time A Member Of The

State Legislature, And For Many Years Surrogate Of The County. The

Following Letter Contains Some Interesting Details.

Chapter X (Samuel Young To Commodore Valentine Morris) Pg 158

 

 

 

Mount Pleasant (Westchester), 25Th January, 1814.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

Your Letter Of The 30Th Ultimo, Asking For Some Account Of The

Campaign In Which I Served, Under The Command Of Colonel Burr, During

The Revolutionary War, Was Received Some Days Ago, And Has Been

Constantly In My Mind. I Will Reply To It With Pleasure, But The

Compass Of A Letter Will Not Admit Of Much Detail.

 

 

I Resided In The Lines From The Commencement Of The Revolution Until

The Winter Of The Year 1780, When My Father'S House Was Burnt, By

Order Of The British General. The County Of Westchester, Very Soon

After The Commencement Of Hostilities, Became, On Account Of Its

Exposed Situation, A Scene Of Deepest Distress. From The Croton To

Kingsbridge, Every Species Of Rapine And Lawless Violence Prevailed.

No Man Went To His Bed But Under The Apprehension Of Having His House

Plundered Or Burnt, Or Himself Or Family Massacred, Before Morning.

Some, Under The Character Of Whigs, Plundered The Tories; While

Others, Of The Latter Description, Plundered The Whigs. Parties Of

Marauders, Assuming Either Character Or None, As Suited Their

Convenience, Indiscriminately Assailed Both Whigs And Tories. So

Little Vigilance Was Used On Our Part, That Emissaries And Spies Of

The Enemy Passed And Repassed Without Interruption.

 

 

These Calamities Continued Undiminished Until The Arrival Of Colonel

Burr, In The Autumn Of The Year 1778. He Took Command Of The Same

Troops Which His Predecessor, Colonel Littlefield, Commanded. At The

Moment Of Colonel Burr'S Arrival, Colonel Littlefield [1] Had Returned

From A Plundering Expedition (For To Plunder Those Called Tories Was

Then Deemed Lawful), And Had Brought Up Horses, Cattle, Bedding,

Clothing, And Other Articles Of Easy Transportation, Which He Had

Proposed To Distribute Among The Party The Next Day. Colonel Burr'S

First Act Of Authority Was To Seize And Secure All This Plunder; And

He Immediately Took Measures For Restoring It To The Owners. This Gave

Us Much Trouble, But It Was Abundantly Repaid By The Confidence It

Inspired.

 

 

He Then Made Known His Determination To Suppress Plundering. The Same

Day He Visited All The Guards; Changed Their Position; Dismissed Some

Of The Officers, Whom He Found Totally Incompetent; Gave New

Instructions. On The Same Day, Also, He Commenced A Register Of The

Names And Characters Of All Who Resided Near And Below His Guards.

Distinguished By Secret Marks The Whig, The Timid Whig, The Tory, The

Horse-Thief, And Those Concerned In, Or Suspected Of, Giving

Information To The Enemy. He Also Began A Map Of The Country, In The

Vicinity Of The Fort; Of The Roads, By-Roads, Paths, Creeks, Morasses,

&C., Which Might Become Hiding-Places For The Disaffected Or For

Marauding Parties. This Map Was Made By Colonel Burr Himself, From

Such Materials As He Could Collect On The Spot, But Principally From

His Own Observation.

 

 

He Raised And Established A Corps Of Horsemen From Among The

Respectable Farmers And Young Men Of The Country, Of Tried Patriotism,

Fidelity, And Courage. These Also Served As Aids And Confidential

Persons For The Transmission Of Orders. To