The Biography of Aaron Burr

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It was a cold morning in Newark, NJ, on the 16th of February 1756 when my good friend Aaron Burr, Jr. was born. My family lived next door to the Burr residence and became very friendly with the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr and his wife Esther. Aaron and I attended Princeton University where we originally studied theology, but later gave up it began the study of law in Litchfield, Connecticut. Our studies were put on hold while we served during the Revolutionary War, under Generals Benedict Arnold, George Washington, and Israel Putnam. During the Revolutionary War, Aaron and I accompanied General Benedict Arnold's expedition into Canada in 1775, a difficult trek of over 500 miles in the middle of winter. Upon arriving before the Battle of Quebec, we were sent up the St. Lawrence River to make contact with General Richard Montgomery, who had taken Montreal, and escort him to Quebec. Montgomery liked the Aaron, and promoted him to Captain and added him to his staff as an aide-de-camp. After Montgomery was killed and the advance party thrown into confusion, Burr single-handedly gathered some of the soldiers and began an attack on the British lines. Overwhelmed by cannon fire, we were forced to retreat. Burr carried the body of Montgomery a short distance before retreating from the field. Our courage made us a national hero and earned us a place on Washington's staff in Manhattan, but we quit after two weeks because we wanted to return to the field.

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