Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-03-21

tion instantly caught the spirit OF the
opening lines
Oh. Aaron Burr, what have you donef
You've killed great General Hamilton
and drove the scheming adventurer
into exile. Hamilton was canOniZed
and his name enrolled among the i'm
mortal few mot born to die"
OF the two men Burr and Hamilton,
II blood counts for anything in shaping
human destiny, Hamilton should have
been the adventurer and Burr the high
minded statesman. One account of
Hamllton's birth and parentage states,
that he was the legitimate son OF a di-
vorced Frenchwoman who had mar
ried Scotchman and another that he
| was the natural son of a young Eng
lish woman. Whatever his parentage
It availed him little In life, for lie was
| thrown upon the world at 13 years of
age and began his struggles as a mer-
| chants clerk.
The boy Hamilton was ambitious,
but not dreamer. He worked hard in
a counting house in the island of Nevis,
West Indies. Having the scribbling
habit, he one day wrote up hurricane
visit which devastated the island and
with that bit Of literary success to
speak for him sailed for the American
colonies. He was then 10 years old
and with the aid Of a private tutor en-
| tered Kings college, as Columbia was
then called. Two years later the immi.
or cir tn hn
platform of a patriot meeting and
made a burning speech for colonial
rights That was the debut of Hamil.
ton, the statesman and one of the au'
thors of the American constitution. The
actual outbreak Of war found him
equally ready for the work of the hour.
While the colonists were talking
young men Of military spirit began to
get ready to fight Hamilton, the
schoolboy, formed a company Of artil-
| lery among his fellows, and when the
| troops were needed In the field the
| New York convention accepted the
| body for active service, with its boy
leader as captain. The battery was
model of discipline and attracted the
attention of Washington. On his re-
treat from Long Island he gladly took
| IL along to swell his little army. For
tune fayors the bold. The troops were
| drawn up at White Plains to fight
hopeless battle. Swarms Of British
attacked the patriots, but when their
main column attempted to climb the
slopes where the Americans lay In
trenched Hamilton's guns swept them
away by platoons. General Greene
| told Washington of the boy artillerist,
| and Hamilton was transferred to army
headquarters, where he became the
| confidential aid of the commander In
chief. For a youth Of 20 Hamilton's
swift rise to place was enough to turn
his head. In five years the poor immi-
grant had reached the top. He was
not only the aid but the spokesman
| Of the greatest man in America. Wash
| ington used Hamilton's pen not as an
annalist merely, but as an advocate.
Talent and dash are not so rare in
Young men that Hamilton can be set
I'D as a marvel In this respect. But his
courage was timely, his capacity eX.
| haustless. One of the times that tried
| Washington's soul was after Saratoga.
| when the American army IN tie north
! bad no foe to face. But the British.
| under Howe, were marching up the
Delaware. Washington had given. aid
to Gates at Saratoga, and now that
his own depleted army was hard press
| ed he sent one request upon another
asking him TO return the troops. Wlth
others as he could spare them. Finally
Hamilton, then a colonel, went to Al
bany to urge Gates to act The gen
eral proposed to return Morgan's corps
to Washington, along with few worn
| out brigades, but Hamilton refused to
| be put off with that. He was indig-
nant and talked back to Gates In terms
which brought the re-enforcements. On
the way down the Hudson the column
| crossed the lines of Israel Putnam,
| semi-independent commander, who was
ambitious to recapture New York. Put
nam actually detached part Of the
Washington re-cnforcements to help on
his plans. Once more the young aid
took the matter In his own hands.
Said he to Putnam, Il now, sir, il the
most explicit terms, by his excellen-
cy's authority, give it as positive or
der from him Washington that all the
Continental troops under your com.
mand be Immediately marched TO re
enforce the army under him" Veteran
though he was, n major general and
personal power In the colonies, Putnam
dared not oppose the beardless boy,
because the boy had right on his side.
Hamilton's physical bravery was
equal to every crisis. At Monmouth,
when others were shaky and doubt
hung over the leaders, he rode TO the
side of his chief and cried out. LET us
die here rather than retreat" That
was the spirit for Monmouth, but on
Rnother occasion he did retreat, and