The Biography of Aaron Burr

1253 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay the revolutionary war

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.

Show More
Related

  • COL Prescott’s Command in the Battle of Breed’s Hill

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    The award-winning novel by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, discusses one of the greatest examples of mission command in the form of 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and his role in the Brecourt Manor Assault. This battle is a textbook example of how to fight against a superior enemy force that outnumbered the unit by four times as much. Facing overwhelming odds with just 16 paratroopers against over 60 German Soldiers, 1LT Winters nevertheless prevails and succeeds in achieving his objective while minimizing casualties to just three Soldiers lost. Looking back further into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill on the American side is one of the earliest examples of Mission Command under the command of COL William Prescott.

    Read More

  • Ethan Allen: Green Mountain Soldier

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan was in the process of making plans to invade Canada, and more specifically, Montreal. He naively believed that, with the Green Mountain Boys, he could easily take the city of Montreal, which is one of the biggest cities in Canada. He later thought that he could capture all of Canada. Ethan soon convinced most of the Continental Congress that invading Canada was a good idea. However, some did not believe that Ethan was the right leader for the mission. The Continental Congress then talked to the New York Provincial Congress to urge them to speak with General Philip Schuyler about his army joining the Green Mountain Boys. Allen was unhappy upon hearing that his army was not considered strong enough to take Canada by themselves. Ethan then became overeager with the fact that he would have to wait to get an approval to invade Canada with General Schuyler’s troops, so he gathered one-hundred men and decided to launch his own attack on Montreal. On September 25, 1775, Allen and his small band of men began marching towards Montreal, attempting to, one again, catch the British by surprise. Except, this time the British were ready. Allen’s troops were attacked by three-hundred British soldiers, and their Native American allies. Much of Allen’s troops fled, and many more were captured, including Allen. This was the beginning of Ethan’s two-and-a-half year ordeal

    Read More

  • Book report

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.

    Read More

  • Revolutionary War: The Battles of Lexington and Concord

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many famous people were involved in these battles. Paul Revere was a patriot who is well-known for his famous midnight ride.

    Read More

  • C. Vann Woodward's The Strange Career of Jim Crow

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the months following the Brown v. Board of Education decision C. Vann Woodward wrote a series of lectures that would provide the basis for one of the most historically significant pieces of nonfiction literature written in the 20th century. Originally, Woodward’s lectures were directed to a local and predominantly southern audience, but as his lectures matured into a comprehensive text they gained national recognition. In 1955 Woodward published the first version of The Strange Career of Jim Crow, a novel that would spark a fluid historical dialogue that would continue for the next twenty years. Woodward foresaw this possibility as he included in the first edition, “Since I am…dealing with a period of the past that has not been adequately investigated, and also with events of the present that have come too rapidly and recently to have been properly digested and understood, it is rather inevitable that I shall make some mistakes. I shall expect and hope to be corrected.” Over this time period Woodward released four separate editions, in chapter form, that modified, corrected, and responded to contemporary criticisms.

    Read More

  • How Freemasonry Steered the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    York, Neil L.. "Freemasons and the American Revolution." The Historian 55, no. 2 (1993): 315-330.

    Read More

  • 1776 Book Review

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ct most of his military blunders came in the year 1776. But he always learned from his mistakes. McCullough also examines the mistakes the British made, that may have cost them the victory in the war. 1776 is truly eye opening. It takes a more human look at men like Washington and his generals, and is full of letters and stories written by actual soldiers from both the British and American armies. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the way McCullough manages to also show the way the British felt towards the Americans and their opinions and thoughts about the rebels. The book ended on a high note, with Washington's historic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. It was the turning point of the war for the future president and his army, and it provided the first great victory for the young American county. The rest, as they say, is history.

    Read More

  • The Legacy of George Rogers Clark

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clark, during the 1770’s, was helping Kentucky defend itself from Native Americans. At the time, Clark was transporting gunpowder to the frontier between the Americans and the British. The Native Americans, who lived in the Northwest, disliked the Americans in the Northwest and their claim on Kentucky and with the British backing, waged war with the Americans. Clark was now in charge of defending the settlements and was promoted to major. Clark then made plans in taking British held forts in the region and persuaded Governor Patrick Henry to support him in capturing the forts. Clark had won the support of Patrick Henry, was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and was given command of the mission (“George Clark” 1). With the command of the mission, Clark had lead 175 men who traveled to Fort Kaskaskia, Illinois in six days. The fort was almost defenseless and was easily taken with Clark’s force. Clark had sent Captain Leonard Helm to capture Fort Sackville, after learning that the fort was undefended from American spies. Leonard Helm had then captured the fort, but was taken back by Henry Hamilton shortly after. Henry Hamilton, the famous British “Hair Buyer”, used militia and Native Americans to take Fort Sackville. In the winter, Clark lead a force of 170 men ...

    Read More

  • C. Vann Woodward's The Strange Career of Jim Crow

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the field of history, it is rare that an author actually comes to shape the events discussed in their writing. However, this was the case for C. Vann Woodward and his book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. First published in 1955, it discusses this history of race relations in America, more specifically the Jim Crow laws he equates with the segregation of races. Woodward argues that segregation itself was a fairly new development within the South, and did not begin until after Reconstruction ended. He further argues that since the South has seen so much change, citing the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the development of the Jim Crow laws, it is possible for more changes to occur in a movement away from segregation. Though to a modern reader this seems like a logical argument following the events of history as they occurred, it must be remembered that Woodward was writing during the time period in which all of this was happening and nothing was certain. As William S. McFeely states in his afterword, what Woodward “so modestly stated, was, in fact, a call for the overthrow of what was perceived to be the very grounding of Southern society.” Unlike most historians, Woodward wrote about segregation and the Civil Rights Movement with such proximity that he came to affect public opinion of the time period as well as the final outcome of events. Furthermore, Woodward wrote with what we can now see to be accurate foresight as well as with a clear understanding of historical writing and the challenges it can pose.

    Read More

  • The Shot Heard 'Round the World

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 19th, 1775 British troops marched to Lexington and Concord, where many militia men already awaited their arrival. The British were after the ammunition of the militia. Paul Revere previously warned the militia so that they could be prepared. Many people are unaware of the fact that Paul Revere was accompanied by William Dawes on his midnight ride.

    Read More

  • The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the months between and including May and September, in 1807, Aaron Burr was tried by the Supreme Court in Virginia on the count of treason against the United States. During the period of 1804 to 1807, Burr allegedly committed several overt acts, which are actions, that may be innocent in themselves, but in combination with the intentions and results of that act, become criminal actions. The trial was about treason, which the Constitution defines as “levying war against [the United States], or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort,“ (Art. III, Sect. 3) and the prosecution must prove that Burr committed the overt act with the testimony of two witnesses, for the treason conviction to stand. In this trial, Burr’s actions outside of the state of Virginia have no bearing on the overt act of assembling troops to levy war against the United States, and therefore the majority of his admissible actions occurred on Blennerhasset’s Island in Virginia. (Doc 108) Although the prosecution made a strong case for Burr’s guilt, the differentiation between his intentions and his actions, his background as an American patriot and the lack of concrete evidence, one must conclude that Aaron Burr is not guilty of treason. He perhaps was even the victim of a larger governmental conspiracy to rid him of all prestige, honor and legacy.

    Read More

  • Analysis of 1776, by David McCullough

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e gun, it seemed, the greater the owner‘s pride in it.” (McCullough 33) The Continental army certainly did not look like an army yet these people were brought together in this fight for freedom and prevailed even winning the support of Americans who had no hope the British would be defeated.” Merchant Erving had sided with the Loyalists primarily because he thought the rebellion would fail. But the success of Washington‘s army at Boston had changed his mind as it had for many” (McCullough 108). The reader must comprehend the power of this accomplishment for the rag-tag army. “Especially for those who had been with Washington and who knew what a close call it was at the beginning-how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference- the outcome seemed little short of a miracle.” (McCullough 294).

    Read More

  • Puritans in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over three centuries ago, Witch Trials plagued the thirteen colonies. Many men and women were tried based on flimsy evidence and eventually hung for their “crimes”. Being a sore spot in American History, Nathaniel Hawthorne felt the brunt of it. His great-great -grandfather, William Hathorne, was the judge during the famous Salem Witch Trials where he condemned and executed several citizens. On Nathaniel’s way to becoming a renowned author in the United States, Nathaniel changed his last name by adding a ‘w’ to distance himself from his family's past. He later published The Scarlet Letter, which can be described as an attack on the Puritan religion and their behavior. Nathaniel contrasts Puritan and Romantic characteristics to highlight the close minded thinking and behavior of the Religious community in the 1600’s, while allowing Hawthorne to expose the ignorance that enveloped his ancestors.

    Read More

  • Patriot Movie Analysis

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    Well-known Director Roland Emmerich’s ‘Patriots’ is a historically based film focusing on the Revolutionary War and how much energy, courage, fighting and souls this major battle took away in order to achieve victory. Patriots was released even before half of the students in my history class learned how to walk which was June 27, 2000. Robert Dowan who also made the film possible was the talented screenwriter behind this film. The major cast in the Patriots were Mel Gibson who played as Benjamin Martin, Heath Ledger as the courageous Gabriel, Jason Isaacs as Lt. Colonel William Tavington, Tom Wilkinson as the cowardice and intelligent Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis, and last but not least major actor, Tchéky Karyo as Jean Villeneuve. Patriots certainly gave me more knowledge of what was going on during the Revolutionary War.

    Read More

  • James Fenimore Cooper

    2744 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 1803 James Fenimore Cooper entered Yale at the tender age of thirteen years. However his immaturity proved to be consequential as he was expelled for blowing up a classmate’s door with gunpowder (“JFC”, DISCovering Biography, n.p.). After his expulsion, presumably as a consequence for his actions, Cooper joined the Navy and sailed aboard the Stirling. On the ship he was witness to many adventures such as pursuit by pirates and British impressments of U.S. sailors (JFC, DISCovering Biography, n.p.).

    Read More

More about The Biography of Aaron Burr

Open Document