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

Vied With Hannibal'S March

Over The Alps), During Which Toilsome And Hazardous March He Attracted

The Attention And Admiration Of His Commander So Much, That He

(Arnold) Sent Him Alone To Meet And Hurry Down General Montgomery'S

Army From Montreal To His Assistance; And Recommended Him To That

General, Who Appointed Him An Aid-De-Camp, In Which Capacity He Acted

During The Winter, Till The Fatal Assault On Quebec, In Which That

Gallant General, His Aid Mcpherson, And Captain Cheeseman, Commanding

The Forlorn Hope, Fell. He Afterwards Continued As Aid To Arnold, The

Survivor In Command.

 

 

Here I Must Begin To Draw Some Of The Outlines Of His Genius And

Valour, Which, Like Those Of The British Immortal, Wolf, Who, At The

Age Of Twenty-Four, And Only Major Of The 20Th Regiment, Serving On

The Continent, Gave Such Specimens Of Genius And Talents As To Evince

His Being Destined For Command.

 

 

At The Perilous Moment Of Montgomery'S Death, When Dismay And

Consternation Universally Prevailed, And The Column Halted, He

Animated The Troops, And Made Many Efforts To Lead Them On; And

Stimulated Them To Enter The Lower Town; And Might Have Succeeded, But

For The Positive Orders Of Colonel Donald Campbell, The Commanding

Officer, For The Troops To Retreat. Had His Plan Been Carried Into

Effect, It Might Have Saved Arnold'S Division From Capture, Which Had,

After Our Retreat, To Contend With All The British Force Instead Of A

Part. On This Occasion I Commanded The First Company In The First

New-York Regiment, At The Head Of Montgomery'S Column, So That I Speak

From Ocular Demonstration.

 

 

The Next Campaign, 1776, Colonel Burr Was Appointed Aid-De-Camp To

Major-General Putnam, Second In Command Under General Washington At

New-York; And From My Knowledge Of That General'S Qualities And The

Colonel'S, I Am Very Certain That The Latter Directed All The

Movements And Operations Of The Former.

 

 

In January, 1777, The Continental Establishment For The War Commenced.

Then Colonel Burr Was Appointed By General Washington A

Lieutenant-Colonel In Malcolm'S Regiment, In Which He Continued To

Serve Until April, 1779, When The Ill State Of His Health Obliged Him

To Retire From Active Service, To The Regret Of General Mcdougall,

Commanding The Department, And That Of The Commander-In-Chief, Who

Offered To Give Him A Furlough For Any Length Of Time, And To Get

Permission From The British General In New-York For Him To Go To

Bermuda For His Health. This Item Will Show His Value In The

Estimation Of Generals Washington And Mcdougall.

 

 

During The Campaign Of 1777, Malcolm'S Regiment Was With The Main

Army, And Commanded By Lieutenant-Colonel Burr. For Discipline, Order,

And System, It Was Not Surpassed By Any In The Service; And Could His

(The Lieutenant-Colonel'S) And Wolfe'S Orderly-Books Be Produced, They

Would Be Very Similar In Point Of Military Policy And Instructions,

And Fit Models For All Regiments.

 

 

This Regiment Was Also But Led At The Valley Forge In 1777 And Winter

Of 1778, Under General Washington, And Composed Part Of His Army At

The Battle Of Monmouth On The 28Th Of June, 1778, And Continued With

It Till The Close Of The Campaign Of That Year, At Which Time It Was

Placed In Garrison At West Point By General Gates; But, Upon General

Mcdougall'S Assuming The Command Of The Posts In The Highlands In

December, Malcolm'S, Spencer'S, And Patten'S Regiments Were Together

Ordered To Haverstraw. The Three Colonels Were Permitted To Go Home

For The Winter On Furlough, And Lieutenant-Colonel Burr Had The

Command Of The Whole Brigade, At A Very Important Advanced Post.

 

 

At This Period General Mcdougall Ordered A Detachment Of About Three

Hundred Troops, Under The Command Of Lieutenant-Colonel Littlefield,

Of The Massachusetts Line, To Guard The Lines In Westchester County,

Then Extending From Tarrytown To White Plains, And From Thence To

Mamaroneck Or Sawpits, Which Last Extension Was Guarded By Connecticut

Troops From Major-General Putnam'S Division.

 

 

In This Situation Of Affairs A Very Singular Occurrence Presented,

Viz., That Neither Lieutenant-Colonel Littlefield, Nor Any Other Of

His Grade, In The Two Entire Brigades Of Massachusetts Troops

Composing The Garrison Of West Point, From Which The Lines Were To Be

Relieved, Was Competent, In The General'S Estimation, To Give Security

To The Army Above And The Lines Of Those Below; And, In Consequence,

He Was Compelled To Call Colonel Burr From His Station At Haverstraw

To The More Important Command Of The Lines In Westchester, In Which

Measure, Unprecedented As It Was, The Officers Acquiesced Without A

Murmur, From A Conviction Of Its Expediency. At This Time I Was Doing

The Duty Of Adjutant-General To General Mcdougall.

 

 

It Was On This New And Interesting Theatre Of War That The Confidence

And Affections Of The Officers And Soldiers (Who Now Became Permanent

On The Lines, Instead Of Being Relieved Every Two Or Three Weeks As

Before), As Well As Of The Inhabitants, All Before Unknown To Colonel

Burr, Were Inspired With Confidence By A System Of Consummate Skill,

Astonishing Vigilance, And Extreme Activity, Which, In Like Manner,

Made Such An Impression On The Enemy, That After An Unsuccessful

Attack On One Of His Advanced Posts, He Never Made Any Other Attack On

Our Lines During The Winter.

 

 

His Humanity, And Constant Regard To The Security Of The Property And

Persons Of The Inhabitants From Injury And Insult, Were Not Less

Conspicuous Than His Military Skill, &C. No Man Was Insulted Or

Disturbed. The Health Of The Troops Was Perfect. Not A Desertion

During The Whole Period Of His Command, Nor A Man Made Prisoner,

Although The Colonel Was Constantly Making Prisoners.

 

 

A Country, Which For Three Years Before Had Been A Scene Of Robbery,

Cruelty, And Murder, Became At Once The Abode Of Security And Peace.

Though His Powers Were Despotic, They Were Exercised Only For The

Peace, The Security, And The Protection Of The Surrounding Country And

Its Inhabitants.

 

 

In The Winter Of 1779, The Latter Part Of It, Major Hull, An Excellent

Officer, Then In The Massachusetts Line, Was Sent Down As Second To

Colonel Burr, Who, After Having Become Familiarized To His System,

Succeeded Him For A Short Time In Command, About The Last Of April, At

Which Time Colonel Burr'S Health Would Not Permit Him To Continue In

Command; But The Major Was Soon Compelled To Fall Back Many Miles, So

As To Be Within Supporting Distance Of The Army At The Highlands.

 

 

The Severity Of The Service, And The Ardent And Increasing Activity

With Which He Had Devoted Himself To His Country'S Cause, For More

Than Four Years, Having Materially Impaired His Health, He Was

Compelled To Leave The Post And Retire From Active Service. It Was Two

Years Before He Regained His Health.

 

 

Major Hull Has Ever Since Borne Uniformly The Most Honourable

Testimony Of The Exalted Talents Of His Commander, By Declaring His

Gratitude For Being Placed Under An Officer Whose System Of Duty Was

Different From That Of All Other Commanders Under Whom He Had Served.

 

 

Having Thus Exhibited The Colonel'S Line Of March, And His Operations

In Service, I Must Now Present Him In Contrast With His Equals In

Rank, And His Superiors In Command.

 

 

In September, 1777, The Enemy Came Out On Both Sides Of The Hudson

Simultaneously, In Considerable Force, Say From 2 To 3000 Men. On The

East Side (At Peekskill) Was A Major-General Of Our Army, With An

Effective Force Of About 2000 Men. The Enemy Advanced, And Our General

Retired Without Engaging Them. Our Barracks And Storehouses, And The

Whole Village Of Peekskill, Were Sacked And Burnt, And The Country

Pillaged.

 

 

On The West Side, At The Mouth Of The Clove, Near Suffren'S, Was

Colonel Burr, Commanding Malcolm'S Regiment, About Three Hundred And

Fifty Men. On The First Alarm He Marched To Find The Enemy, And On The

Same Night Attacked And Took Their Picket-Guard, Rallied The Country,

And Made Such Show Of War, That The Enemy Retreated The Next Morning,

Leaving Behind Him The Cattle, Horses, And Sheep He Had Plundered.

 

 

The Year Following, Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson Was Sent To Command On

The Same Lines In Westchester By General Heath, And He Was Surprised

At Nine Or Ten O'Clock In The Day, And Made Prisoner, With A Great

Part Of His Detachment.

 

 

Again, In The Succeeding Winter, Colonel Greene, Of The Rhode Island

Line, With His Own And Another Rhode Island Regiment, Who Was A Very

Distinguished Officer, And Had With These Two Regiments, In The Year

1777, Defeated The Hessian Grenadiers Under Count Donop, At Red Banks,

On The Delaware, Who Was Mortally Wounded And Taken Prisoner,

Commanded On The Lines In Westchester; There Receded To Pine'S Bridge,

And In This Position Colonel Greene'S Troops Were Also Surprised After

Breakfast And Dispersed, The Colonel Himself And Major Flagg Killed,

And Many Soldiers Made Prisoners, Besides Killed And Wounded.

 

 

On The West Side Of The Hudson, In The Year 1780, General Wayne, The

Hero Of Stony Point, With A Large Command And Field Artillery, Made An

Attack On A Block-House Nearly Opposite To Dobbs'S Ferry, Defended By

Cowboys, And Was Repulsed With Loss; Whereas Colonel Burr Burnt And

Destroyed One Of A Similar Kind, In The Winter Of 1779, Near

Delancey'S Mills, With A Very Few Men, And Without Any Loss On His

Part, Besides Capturing The Garrison.

 

 

Here, My Good Friend Commodore, I Must Drop The Curtain Till I See You

In Albany, Which Will Be On The First Week In February, Where I Can

And Will Convince You That He Is The Only Man In America (That Is, The

United States) Who Is Fit To Be A Lieutenant-General; And Let You And

I, And All The American People, Look Out For Mr. Madison'S

Lieutenant-General In Contrast.

 

 

I Am Your Friend,

 

 

Richard Platt.

Chapter XII Pg 171

 

 

 

On Retiring From The Army, Colonel Burr Visited His Friends In

New-Jersey And Connecticut. He Had Previously Determined, As Soon As

His Health Would Permit, To Commence The Study Of Law. During The Four

Years He Was In Public Service, His Patrimony Was Greatly Impaired.

Towards His Brethren In Arms He Had Acted With Liberality. Naturally

Of An Improvident Character, He Adopted No Means To Preserve The

Property Which He Inherited. The Cardinal Vices Of Gaming And Drinking

He Avoided. But He Was Licentious In The Extreme, And Regardless Of

Consequences In The Gratification Of His Desires. His Extravagance Was

Unrestrained When, In His Opinion, Necessary To The Enjoyment Of His

Pleasures. From The Arms Of His Nurse Until He Had Numbered Fourscore

Years, He Was Perpetually The Dupe Of The Artful And The Selfish.

 

 

Colonel Burr Was About Five Feet Six Inches In Height. He Was Well

Formed, And Erect In His Attitude. In All His Movements There Was A

Military Air. Although Of Small Stature, Yet There Was About Him A

Loftiness Of Mien That Could Not Pass Unnoticed By A Stranger. His

Deportment Was Polished And Courtly. His Features Were Regular, And

Generally Considered Handsome. His Eye Was Jet Black, With A

Brilliancy Never Surpassed. The Appropriate Civilities Of The

Drawing-Room Were Performed With A Grace Almost Peculiar To Himself.

His Whole Manner Was Inconceivably Fascinating. As A Gentleman, This

Was His Great Theatre. He Acted Upon The Principle That The Female Was

The Weaker Sex, And That They Were All Susceptible Of Flattery. His

Great Art Consisted In Adopting It To The Grade Of Intellect He

Addressed. In This Respect He Was Singularly Fortunate As Well As

Adroit. In Matters Of Gallantry He Was Excessively Vain. This Vanity

Sometimes Rendered Him Ridiculous In The Eyes Of His Best Friends, And

Often Enabled The Most Worthless And Unprincipled To Take Advantage Of

His Credulity.

 

 

Such Traits Of Character Would Appear To Be Incompatible With An

Elevated And Towering Mind; Yet They Usually Influenced, And

Frequently Controlled, One Of The Greatest And Most Extraordinary Men

Of The Age. A Volume Of Anecdotes Might Be Related As Evidence Of

Colonel Burr'S Quickness Of Perception And Tact At Reply, When An

Ill-Judged Or Thoughtless Expression Was Addressed By Him To A Lady.

One Is Sufficient For Illustration.

 

 

After His Return From Europe, In 1812, He Met A Maiden Lady In

Broadway Somewhat Advanced In Life. He Had Not Seen Her For Many

Years. As She Passed Him, She Exclaimed To A Gentleman On Whose Arm

She Was Resting, "Colonel Burr!" Hearing His Name Mentioned, He

Suddenly Stopped And