Memoirs Of Aaron Burr, Volume 1 - Matthew L. Davis (top android ebook reader txt) 📗
- Author: Matthew L. Davis
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In His Retirement At The House Of His Brother-In-Law (Judge Reeve),
Burr Was Aroused By The Shedding Of His Countrymen'S Blood At
Lexington On The 19Th Of April, 1775. Immediately After That Battle,
He Wrote A Letter To His Friend Ogden, Requesting Him To Come On To
Litchfield And Arrange For Joining The Standard Of Their Country.
Ogden Wrote For Answer That He Could Not Make The Necessary
Arrangements.
Chapter V Pg 39The Battle Of Bunker'S Hill (On The 16Th Of June, 1775)
Followed In Rapid Succession; Whereupon He Started For Elizabethtown,
New-Jersey, To Meet Ogden, And Aid Him In Preparations For The Journey
To Cambridge, Where The American Army Was Encamped.
Burr Had Been Reading Those Portions Of History Which Detailed The
Achievements Of The Greatest Military Men And Tacticians Of The Age In
Which They Lived. His Idea Of Discipline And Subordination Was Formed
Accordingly. With The Most Enthusiastic Feelings, And Under The
Influence Of Such Opinions, Burr, In Company With His Friend Matthias
Ogden, Left Elizabethtown, In July, 1775, For Cambridge, With The
Intention Of Tendering Their Services In Defence Of American Liberty.
He Had Now Entered His Twentieth Year, But, In Appearance, Was A Mere
Stripling.
It Has Been Seen That, Whatever Were Burr'S Pursuits Or Studies, His
Habits Were Those Of Intense Application. He Had Already Imbibed A
Military Ardour Equalled By Few--Surpassed By None. Panting For Glory
On The Battle-Field, Information And Improvement As A Soldier Were Now
The Objects That Absorbed All His Thoughts. On His Joining The Army,
However, He Was Sadly Disappointed In His Expectations. The Whole Was
A Scene Of Idleness, Confusion, And Dissipation. From The Want Of
Camp-Police, The Health Of The Men Was Impaired, And Many Sickened And
Died. Of The Officers, Some Were Ignorant Of Their Duty, While Others
Were Fearful Of Enforcing A Rigid Discipline, Lest It Should Give
Offence To Those Who Were Unaccustomed To Restraint. Deep
Mortification And Disappointment Preyed Upon The Mind Of Young Burr.
The Following Original Letters Are Found Among The Papers Of Colonel
Burr, And, As Casting Some Light Upon The History Of Those Times, Are
Deemed Of Sufficient Interest (And Not Inapplicable) To Be Inserted In
This Work. The Patriotic Reply Of General Montgomery Is Above All
Praise.
Chapter V (Roger Sherman To General David Wooster) Pg 40
Philadelphia, June 23D, 1775.
Dear Sir,
The Congress, Having Determined It Necessary To Keep Up An Army For
The Defence Of America At The Charge Of The United Colonies, Have
Appointed The Following General Officers:--George Washington, Esq.,
Commander-In-Chief. Major-Generals Ward, Lee, Schuyler, And Putnam.
Brigadier-Generals Pomeroy, Montgomery, Yourself, Heath, Spencer,
Thomas, Sullivan (Of New-Hampshire), And One Green, Of Rhode-Island.
I Am Sensible That, According To Your Former Rank, You Were Entitled
To The Place Of A Major-General; And As One Was To Be Appointed In
Connecticut, I Heartily Recommended You To The Congress. I Informed
Them Of The Arrangement Made By Our Assembly, Which I Thought Would Be
Satisfactory To Have Them Continue In The Same Order. But, As General
Putnam'S Fame Was Spread Abroad, And Especially His Successful
Enterprise At Noddle'S Island, The Account Of Which Had Just Arrived,
It Gave Him A Preference In The Opinion Of The Delegates In General,
So That His Appointment Was Unanimous Among The Colonies; But, From
Your Known Abilities And Firm Attachment To The American Cause, We
Were Very Desirous Of Your Continuance In The Army, And Hope You Will
Accept Of The Appointment Made By The Congress.
I Think The Pay Of A Brigadier Is About One Hundred And Twenty-Five
Dollars Per Month. I Suppose A Commission Is Sent To You By General
Washington. We Received Intelligence Yesterday Of An Engagement At
Charlestown, But Have Not Had The Particulars. All The Connecticut
Troops Are Now Taken Into The Continental Army. I Hope Proper Care
Will Be Taken To Secure The Colony Against Any Sudden Invasion, Which
Must Be At Their Own Expense.
I Have Nothing Further That I Am At Liberty To Acquaint You With Of
The Doings Of The Congress But What Have Been Made Public. I Would Not
Have Any Thing Published In The Papers That I Write, Lest Something
May Inadvertently Escape Me Which Ought Not To Be Published. I Should
Be Glad If You Would Write To Me Every Convenient Opportunity, And
Inform Me Of Such Occurrences, And Other Matters, As You May Think
Proper And Useful For Me To Be Acquainted With. The General Officers
Were Elected In The Congress, Not By Nomination, But By Ballot.
I Am, With Great Esteem,
Your Humble Servant,
Roger Sherman.
David Wooster, Esq.
Chapter V (James Duane, Of New-York, To General Montgomery) Pg 41
Philadelphia, July 21St, 1775.
Dear Sir,
I Am Directed By The Congress To Acquaint You Of An Arrangement In The
Massachusetts Department, And The Reason Which Led To It, Lest, By
Misunderstanding It, You Might Think Yourself Neglected.
When Brigadiers-General Were To Be Appointed, It Was Agreed That The
First In Nomination Should Be One Of The Massachusetts Generals. The
Gentlemen From That Province Recommended General Pomeroy, Who Was
Accordingly Fixed Upon; But, Before His Commission Arrived At The
Camp, He Had Retired From The Army. Under These Circumstances The
Congress Thought It Just To Fill Up The Commission Designed For Mr.
Pomeroy With The Name Of General Thomas As First Brigadier. You,
Consequently, Hold The Rank To Which You Were Elected.
I Sincerely Hope This May Not Give You Any Displeasure, As I Am
Confident No Disrespect Was Intended.
Be Pleased To Accept My Sincere Wishes For Your Honour And Happiness,
And Particularly In The Discharge Of The Important Trust Which You
Have Undertaken.
I Am, With Regard,
Dear Sir, Your Most Obedient Servant,
Jas. Duane.
General Montgomery.
Chapter V (General Montgomery'S Answer) Pg 42
Dear Sir,
I Have Been Honoured With Your Letter Of The 21St Inst. My
Acknowledgments Are Due For The Attention Shown Me By The Congress.
I Submit, With Great Cheerfullness, To Any Regulation They, In Their
Prudence, Shall Judge Expedient. Laying Aside The Punctilio Of The
_Soldier_, I Shall Endeavour To Discharge My Duty To Society,
Considering Myself Only As The _Citizen_, Reduced To The Melancholy
Necessity Of Taking Up Arms For The Public Safety.
I Am, &C., R. M.
Answer.
The Preceding Is Endorsed, In The Handwriting Of General Montgomery,
On The Back Of Mr. Duane'S Letter.
The Laxity Of The Discipline Which Pervaded The Camp At Cambridge, The
Inexperience Of The Officers, And The Contests And Petty Squabbles
About Rank, All Tended To Excite Great Jealousy And Discontent In The
Army. As Yet, Burr Was Attached To No Particular Corps. He Mingled
Indiscriminately With Conflicting Factions, Until, Disgusted With The
Scene Which He Daily Witnessed, He Was Violently Attacked With A
Nervous Fever, By Which He Was Confined To His Bed.
One Day He Heard Ogden And Some Young Men Of The Army Conversing, In
An Apartment Adjoining That In Which He Was Lying, On The Subject Of
An Expedition. He Called Ogden To His Bedside, And Inquired What Was
The Nature Of The Expedition Of Which They Were Speaking. Ogden
Informed Him That Colonel Arnold, With A Detachment Of Ten Or Twelve
Hundred Men, Was About To Proceed Through The Wilderness For The
Purpose Of Attacking Quebec. Burr Instantly Raised Himself Up In The
Bed, And Declared That He Would Accompany Them; And, So Pertinacious
Was He On This Point, That He Immediately, Although Much Enfeebled,
Commenced Dressing Himself. Ogden Expostulated, And Spoke Of His
Debilitated State--Referred To The Hardships And Privations That He
Must Necessarily Endure On Such A March, &C. But All Was Unavailing.
Young Burr Was Determined, And Was Immoveable. He Forthwith Selected
Four Or Five Hale, Hearty Fellows, To Whom He Proposed That They
Should Form A Mess, And Unite Their Destiny On The Expedition Through
The Wilderness. To This Arrangement They Cheerfully Acceded. His
Friend Ogden, And Others Of His Acquaintance, Were Conveyed In
Carriages From Cambridge To Newburyport, Distant About Sixty Miles;
But Burr, With His New Associates In Arms, On The 14Th Of September,
1775, Shouldered Their Muskets, Took Their Knapsacks Upon Their Backs,
And Marched To The Place Of Embarcation.
From J. Bellamy.
Chapter V (General Montgomery'S Answer) Pg 43Litchfield, August 17Th, 1775.
My Dearest Soldier,
I Was Infinitely Surprised To Hear From You In The Army. I Can Hardly
Tell You What Sensations I Did Not Feel At The Time. Shall Not Attempt
To Describe Them, Though They Deprived Me Of A Night'S Sleep. But That
Was Not Spent Altogether Unhappily. My Busybody, _Fancy_, Led Me A
Most Romantic Chase; In Which, You May Be Sure, I Visited Your Tent;
Beheld You (Unnoticed) Musing On Your Present Circumstances,
Apparently Agitated By Every Emotion Which Would Naturally Fill The
Heart Of One Who Has Come To The Resolution To Risk His Life For His
Country'S Freedom. You Will Excuse My Mentioning, That From A Deep,
Absent Meditation, Partly Expressed By Half-Pronounced Soliloquies, I
Beheld You Start Up, Clap Your Hand Upon Your Sword, And Look So
Fiercely, That It Almost Frightened
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