Every fine feeling of a delicate mind revolts from the
idea of shedding human blood, and multiplying'the common evils of life by
the artificial methods incident to that state.
idea of shedding human blood, and multiplying'the common evils of life by
the artificial methods incident to that state.
Hamilton - 1834 - Life on Hamilton - v1
Circumstances which
have just come to my knowledge, assure me that our ope-
rations will be expeditious, as well as our success certain.
Early in November, as I promised you, we shall certainly
meet. Cheer yourself with this idea, and with the assu-
rance of never more being separated. Every day confirms
me in the intention of renouncing public life, and devoting
myself wholly to you. Let others waste their time and their
tranquillity in a vain pursuit of power and glory; -- be it
my object to be happy in a quiet retreat,. with my better
angel. " Again he writes from Annapolis, -- " How che-
quered is human life? --how precarious is happiness? --
how easily do we often part with it for a shadow? These
are the reflections that frequently intrude themselves upon
me, with a painful application. I am going to do my duty.
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? HAMILTON. 379
Our operations will be so conducted, as to economize the
lives of men. Exert your fortitude, and rely upon heaven. "
These repeated expressions of attachment, are but the
gentler declarations of the strong feelings which animated
his breast, always full of tenderness to every object of his
regard. It is apparent from his correspondence at this
time, that he entertained a fixed purpose, should the oppor-
tunity offer, of establishing his military character on still
higher ground, and winning a meed of fame, connected
with the last great event in his country's early glory, and
that he foresaw, with a deep foreboding of danger, the
high enterprise to which his ambition pledged him.
The transports which had been furnished by Barras, in
the absence of De Grasse, reached the harbour between
James Town and Williamsburg, on the twenty-second of
September, with the advance of the Americans, where
they disembarked, the residue soon following. The whole
body moved forward, and on the twenty-eighth arrived
within two miles of the enemy's works at York Town;
Hamilton commanding a corps of light infantry, which was
attached to the division of La Fayette, who had joined with
the remains of the little army of Virginia.
The selection of this position by Lord Cornwallis, under
the circumstances in which he was placed, ean by no means
be regarded as exhibiting a want of military skill. Had
the British General pursued his own wishes, he would have
returned to the command of the army in South Carolina;
but this would have been a violation of his orders from Sir
Henry Clinton, who, apprehensive for his own safety, had
directed a portion of the forces in Virginia to return to New-
York. It had, also, been a favourite object with the Bri-
tish ministry, to establish a permanent and central post,.
whence their naval enterprises could be more successfully
conducted. Portsmouth, at first, attracted the attention of
the British General, but was found wholly unsuited to his
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? 380 THE LIFE OF
purpose. He next had in view the establishment of his
army at Point Comfort, but greater objections existed to
it, and York Town remained the only choice.
This small village, lying on the south side of the noble
stream whence it derives its name, is situated on the beau-
tiful peninsula, formed by the York and the James, in their
approach to the Chesapeake.
Gloucester, which is on the north and opposite side of
the York, projects so far into the river, that the distance
between the headlands little exceeds a mile.
Here Cornwallis, intercepted in his retreat to the inte-
rior by La Fayette, who after a series of masterly move-
ments, had completely kept him at bay, -- deterred, also,
by the violent heats of the season, and cut off by De Grasse
from all hopes of succour by sea, had concentrated his
army, to the number of seven thousand men.
On the west and northwest, his post was protected by an
inlet from the river, a morass, and a deep ravine. On the
high banks of the river to the north, batteries were erect-
ed, which co-operating with those on the Gloucester side,
controlled the river pass, which was narrowed by vessels
sunk in the channel, and was also commanded by several
ships of war stationed in the offing. The south and south-
west, the most accessible points, were covered by an ex-
tensive line of field fortifications, which his army were en-
gaged in throwing up, when the Americans landed.
On their approach, a show of opposition was made on
their left, but a few pieces being advanced by Viomenil,
the enemy receded. On the twenty-ninth of September,
the Americans took their ground in front and on the left of
their works, and kept up a light and scattering fusilade.
The enemy, apprehensive they would get between their
outworks and the town, evacuated the greater part of them
on the following day, and they were occupied by the Ame-
rican light infantry, supported by their allies. During the
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? HAMILTON. 3S1
ensuing days, the besiegers were engaged in throwing up
redoubts, which was effected with great intrepidity, under
a heavy cannonade.
On the sixth of October, the army moved forward, and
opened their first parallel, within six hundred yards of the
enemy, under cover by day light. Hamilton now moved
his corps of light infantry into the works, and planted their
standards on the top of the line of the parallel. On the
ninth and tenth, six heavy batteries, three French and three
American, opened a heavy fire on the British, which dis-
mounted some of their guns, injured their embrasures, and
compelled them to shelter their cannon behind the merlons.
This was followed by an almost entire suspension of the
fire, and the loss of their heaviest vessel, the Charon, a
forty-four gun frigate, by a hot shot from the French bat-
tery, which burnt to the water's edge, presenting, in a serene
night, a magnificent and melancholy spectacle.
On the evening of the eleventh, the second parallel was
opened by Steuben's division, which was carried on within
three hundred and sixty yards of the enemy's batteries,
with amazing rapidity during the night; while their shot
and shells kept up a continual and dazzling blaze, and was
completed on the succeeding day.
It now became necessary to obtain possession of two de-
tached redoubts, which were advanced on the left of the
enemy, within three hundred yards in their front, which
enfiladed the whole line of the American entrenchments,
and were supposed to command the communication be-
tween York and Gloucester. The heavy and incessant fire
which had been poured in upon them, it was believed, had
rendered them practicable, and it was determined to carry
them by assault. The work on the extreme left to be
forced by the American light infantry, comprising a part of
La Fayette's division ; that on the right, by a detachment of
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? S82 THE LIFE OF
French grenadiers and chasseurs, commanded by De Vio-
menil.
This was the opportunity for which Hamilton had so
long, so eagerly hoped, of signalizing himself by some act
of distinguished prowess. But he was on the point of
losing it. The fourteenth of October was his tour of duty,
but from a supposed precedence due to that part of the
light infantry which had made the Virginian campaign,
Washington had determined to give the attack to Colonel
Barber.
The moment Hamilton learned this arrangement, he left
Major Fish, proceeded immediately to the General's quar-
ters and remonstrated with him> claiming the right of the
attack, as the officer on duty. His appeal was successful,
and Hamilton returned in the highest spirits, exclaiming to
Fish, " We have it! we have it! " The disposition was then
made to advance in two columns. The right composed of
Gimat's battalion, and Hamilton's, under Major Fish. The
left, under Laurens, with a small body of picked men, who
was directed to take them in reverse.
The redoubt, on the right, was to be attacked by a body
of grenadiers, under Count Deux Ponts and Colonel
L'Estrade, supported by the regiment of Gatinois: a dis-
position intended to prevent any jealousy between the ar-
mies, and to excite their emulation.
The signal of attack was a shell from the American bat-
tery, with a corresponding one from the French.
As soon as the first shell reached its zenith,, that from the
French battery also ascended. Hamilton then gave the
order to advance at the point of the bayonet, pushed forward,
and before the rest of the corps had ascended the abatis,
mounted over it, stood for a moment on the parapet, with
three of his soldiers, encouraging the others to follow, and
sprung into the ditch. Fish followed. Gimat, receiving a
wound from the first sentinel as they were unmasking, was
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? HAMILTON. 383
compelled to retire. The American infantry, animated by
the address and example of their leader, pressed on, with
muskets unloaded and fixed bayonets. They soon reached
the counterscarp, under a heavy and constant fire from the
redoubt, and surmounting the abatis, ditch, and palisades,
mounted the parapet, and leaped into the work.
Hamilton, who had pressed forward, followed by the
van guard under Mansfield, was, for a short time, lost sight
of, and it was feared he had fallen: but he soon re-appear-
ed, formed the troops in the redoubt, and as soon as it sur-
rendered gave the command to Major Fish.
The impetuosity of the attack carried all before it, and
within nine minutes from the time the abatis was passed,
the work was gained. "Not a gun," says La Fayette," was
fired. The ardour of the troops did not give time for the
sappers to derange the abatis; and owing to the conduct
of the commander, and bravery of the men, the redoubt
was stormed with uncommon rapidity. "* "Few cases,"
says Washington, " have exhibited greater proofs of intre-
pidity, coolness, and firmness, than were shown on this oc-
casion. "
Colonel Barber's battalion, the first in the supporting co-
lumn,'arrived at the moment the advance were getting over
the works, and executed their orders with the utmost ala-
crity, (the Colonel being slightly wounded,) while the rest
of the division, under Muhlenburg and Hagen, advanced
with admirable firmness, and formed their columns with
perfect silence and order, under the fire of the enemy.
The gallantry of the storm was not less distinguished
than the humanity of the victors. In the midst of the
works, as soon as Hamilton saw the enemy driven back,
. * "Colonel Hamilton, whose well-known talents and gallantry were most
conspicuous. Our obligations to him, to Colonel Gimat, and Colonel Lau-
rens, and to each and all the officers and men, are beyond expression. "
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? 384 THE LIFE OF
he ordered his men to halt, and excepting in the charge at
the onset, not a man was injured. An incident occurred
as soon as they entered the redoubt, to which Hamilton re-
fers in his report. "Incapable of imitating examples of
barbarity, and forgetting recent provocations, the soldiery
spared every man who ceased to fight. "
Colonel Scammel, of the light infantry, while reconnoi-
tering, a few days before, was surprised by a party of
horse, and after he was taken was wantonly wounded, of
which wound he died. When Colonel Campbell, who
commanded the redoubt, advanced to surrender, a captain,-
who had served under Scammel, seized a bayonet, and
drew back with the intent of plunging it into his breast,
when Hamilton turned it aside, and Campbell, exclaiming,
"I place myself under your protection," was made prisoner
by Laurens. *
* Doctor Gordon, whose statements are often erroneous, says, in speak-
ing of this affair, "The light infantry of the Americans were command-
ed by Marquis La Fayette, and the service was allotted to a select corps.
The Marquis said to General Washington, 'The troops should retaliate on
the British for the cruelties they have practised. ' The General answered,
'You have full command, and may order as you please. ' The Marquis or-
dered the party to remember New-London, and to retaliate by putting the
men in the redoubt] to the sword, after having carried it -- *********
Lieutenant Colonel Laurens personally took the commanding officer. The
Colonel's humanity and that of the Americans, so overcame their resentments
that they spared the British. When bringing them off, as prisoners, they said
among themselves, 'Why, how is this? We were ordered. 'to put them to
death. ' Being asked by others why they had not done it, they answered,'We
could not, when they begged so hard upon their knees for their lives. '" To
this shameful fabrication, the attention of Colonel Hamilton was drawn. It is
thus refuted:
To the Editor of the Evening Post.
New-York, August 10, 1802.
SIR,
Finding that a story, long since propagated, under circumstances which it
was expected would soon consign it to oblivion, (and by winch I have been
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? HAMILTON. 385
The redoubt on the right was also taken, but with less
celerity, the Americans having the work in their posses-
sion, and being regularly formed, while their allies were
yet engaged in removing the abatis.
The fate of the enemy was now decided. The second
parallel was continued during the night, the two redoubts
enveloped, and a line of communication opened with the
first before break of day. As a last effort, a sortie was
made, towards day-light of the sixteenth, which proved un-
successful.
Cornwallis, who knew the weakness of his defences,
and had placed his only hopes on succour from New-York,
resolved to make a desperate attempt to cross to Glouces-
ter, intending to escape by land to New-York. Boats were
prepared, and a part of the troops embarked, when a vio-
lent storm arose, which drove the boats down the river, and
prevented the completion of his bold design. New batteries
were now finished by the Americans; the whole works
were mounted, and a heavy and irresistible cannonade en-
complimented at the expense of Generals Washington and La Fayette,) has
of late been revived, and has acquired a degree of importance by being repeat-
ed in different publications, as well in Europe as America, it becomes a duty to
counteract its currency and influence by an explicit disavowal.
The story imports in substance, that General La Fayette, with the appro-
bation or connivance of General Washington, ordered me, as the officer who
was to command the attack on a British redoubt, in the course of the siege of
York Town, to put to death all those of the enemy who should happen to be
taken in the redoubt, and that through motives of humanity I forbore to execute
the order.
Positively and unequivocally I declare, that no such nor similar order, nor
any intimation nor hint resembling it, was ever by me received, or understood
to have been given.
It is needless to enter into an explanation of some occurrences on the occa-
sion alluded to, which may be conjectured to have given rise to the calumny.
It is enough to say, that they were entirely disconnected with any act of either
of the Generals who have been accused.
With esteem I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
A. Hamilton.
vol. I. 49
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? 386 THE LIFE OF
sued. On the morning of the seventeenth, while the light
infantry were in the trenches, the chamade was beat, and
propositions for surrender made. It is related by Colonel
Fish, that when the sealed packet addressed to Washing-
ton, which was delivered to La Fayette, came in, the Ge-
neral was riding along the line. He had passed Hamilton,
and as soon as he had read the despatch, sent for him, and
asked his opinion as to the terms. After a short time, a
suspension of hostilities was agreed to, and the enemy capi-
tulated; Laurens, at the surrender, representing the Ame-
rican army, both as an honour due to his distinguished me-
rits, and to remind the British king, that he, whose father
was a prisoner in the Tower, held in his hands the fate of
the commander of his armies. *
Congratulations now poured in upon Washington, and
upon his allies, from every quarter of the country; the pub-
lic bodies vieing with each other, in an emulation of grati-
tude. A vote of thanks was rapturously passed by con-
gress, a marble column was ordered to be erected at York
Town, in commemoration of the event, and special honours
were conferred on both commanders.
While receiving the warmest expressions of admiration
from the whole army, Hamilton, thus modestly, in a letter
written to soothe the anxiety of his wife, adverts to what
had passed. "Two nights ago,f my Eliza, my duty and my
honour obliged me to take a step in which your happiness
was too much risked. I commanded an attack upon one
of the enemy's redoubts; we carried it in an instant, and
with little loss. You will see the particulars in the Phila-
delphia papers. There will be, certainly, nothing more of
this kind; all the rest will be by approach; and if there
should be another occasion, it will not fall to my turn to
execute it. "
* Cornwallis was, it is believed, at this time Constable of the Tower,
t October 16th.
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? HAMILTON. 387
Washington,. anxious to push his advantages, solicited
De Grasse to co-operate in the relief of Wilmington and
Charleston. The former object was at first assented to;
but the French admiral conceiving it his duty to return to
the West Indies, changed his views. The plan was aban-
doned, and after having completed the arrangements for
the disposal of the captured army, while the French re-
mained in Virginia, the Americans returned to the north,
and were cantoned, in the latter part of November, in
New-Jersey and in New-York.
Washington, having concerted measures for the next
campaign in a personal interview with congress, revisited
Mount Vernon, loaded with laurels, and crowned with glo-
ry, while Hamilton returned on furlough to his home.
Gratifying as had been the result of this campaign, which
sealed the national independence, and proud as were his
reflections in reviewing the long series of services he had
rendered his country, and in being connected so conspicu-
ously with an event which may be regarded as the closing
scene of the revolution, yet those reflections were not un-
mingled with others of a deeply painful character. Though,
with every uncorrupted mind, he deplored the miseries of
war,* yet long service had confirmed in his bosom a fond-
ness for military life. As an eloquent friend has well re-
marked, "his early education was in the camp; there his
earliest and most cordial friendships were formed; there
he became enamoured of glory, and was admitted to her
? In a letter to a friend, written after the close of the campaign of 1776, he
observes: "Tour sentiments respecting war are perfectly j ust. I don't wonder
at your antipathy to it.
Every fine feeling of a delicate mind revolts from the
idea of shedding human blood, and multiplying'the common evils of life by
the artificial methods incident to that state. Were it not for the evident ne-
cessity, and in defence of all that is valuable in society, I could never be re-
conciled to a military character, and shall rejoice when the restoration of
peace, on the basis of freedom and independence, shall put it in my power to
renounce it. "
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? 888 THE LIFE OF
embrace. "* This life was now soon to end, and those
friendships, so warmly cherished, could be cultivated only
at intervals.
Knowing also that the army was not a favourite of con-
gress, he could not but survey, for the last time, with pain,
the war-worn faces of those faithful men, who, while win-
ning the liberties of their country, had won for her such im-
perishable renown, requited, as he felt they were to be, by
the grossest ingratitude.
Of his immediate companions in the family of Washing-
ton, with two he had already parted. Early in the year,
Meade, who had recently married, retired from the service,
and except by his gallantry in rushing to the aid of Steuben,
and repulsing the advances of Arnold from his native state,
was no longer known as a public man.
The " Old Secretary," Harrison, as he was familiarly call-
ed, left the army the previous spring, having been appoint-
ed, by the state of Maryland, Chief Justice of its Supreme
Court; which situation he filled until the adoption of the
Federal Constitution, when such was Washington's estimate
of the claims of this meritorious individual upon his country,
that he nominated him a Judge of the Supreme Court of
the United States, immediately after its organization, which
he declined. f
* Fisher Ames.
t The following letter, written by Colonel Harrison to Hamilton, as a vin-
dication of his motives for leaving the army, may not be deemed inappropriate,
as an act of justice to an early friend.
"New-Windsor, , 1781.
"I came here, my dear Hamilton, on Friday night to bid adieu to the Gene-
ral, to you, and to my other friends as a military man, and regretted much that
I had not the happiness of seeing you. To-morrow I am obliged to depart,
and it is possible our separation may be forever. But be this as it may, it can
only be with respect to our persons, for as to affection, mine for you will con-
tinue to my latest breath. This event will probably surprise you, but from
your knowledge of me, I rely you will conclude at the instant, that no light
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? HAMILTON.
Tilghman, McIIenry, and Laurens remained in the ser-
vice.
The first, whose social virtues were only equalled by his
military daring, continued with the commander-in-chief un-
til his resignation, from whom he received the warmest ac-
knowledgements of gratitude. He then established himself
in Baltimore, where he died in seventeen hundred and eigh-
ty-six.
McHenry, whom Hamilton described "as sensible, judi-
cious, well informed, of an intrepidity never questioned, and
of a temper, which though firm in the support of principles,
was full of moderation and amenity," returned to Maryland,
where he exercised a salutary influence in the councils of
that state, filled a seat in congress a short time, and closed
his public life as Secretary at War.
But the individual who held the first place in Hamilton's
considerations would have taken me from the army; and, I think, I might
safely have rested the matter here. However, as the friendship between us,
gives you a claim to something more, and as I am not indifferent about cha-
racter, and shall be anxious to have the esteem of all who are good and virtu-
ously great, I shall detail to you, my friend, the more substantial reasons which
have led to my present conduct. I go from the army, then, because I have
found, on examination, that my little fortune, earned by an honest and hard
industry, was becoming embarrassed; to attend to the education of my chil-
dren; to provide, if possible, for the payment of a considerable sum of money,
with which I stand charged in the partition of my father's estate; to save a
house which I had begun, and without instant attention would be ruined; and
because the state of Maryland, in a flattering manner, have been pleased to
appoint me to a place, very respectable in its nature, corresponding with my
former, and interesting to my whole future life and support: -- they have ap-
pointed me to the chair of the Supreme Court. These, my friend, are the mo-
tives to my present resolution. My own feelings are satisfied on the occasion,
though I cannot but regret parting with the most valuable acquaintances I
have, and I hope they will justify me most fully to you, my Hamilton, espe-
pecially when you consider the time I have been in the service, and the com-
pensation I have received * * *. Adieu.
"Yours, in haste, most affectionately,
"Robt. H. Harrison. "
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? THE LIFE OF
affections was Laurens,with whom he now parted, not again
to meet.
This heroic soldier joined the army in the beginning of
seventeen hundred and seventy-seven; distinguished him-
self at Brandywine, and at Germantown only retired after
an impetuous, though unadvised attempt upon Chew's house,
from which Hamilton endeavoured to dissuade him, after
having received a severe wound, and having left two-thirds
of his men upon the field.
At Monmouth, where every member of Washington's staff
contended not only for their country, but for the honour of
their chief, he was conspicuous in leading the soldiers to the
charge, and rallying them on the retreat. At Rhode-Island,
he commanded a regiment of infantry, and received the es-
pecial thanks of Sullivan for his order and gallantry.
He was incessantly employed in various operations while
at the south. At the siege of Savannah, he gave a singular
instance of his high-wrought feelings. After the defeat, he
stood lost in abstraction, with his arms wide extended, in
the midst of a heavy fire, and replied to a remonstrance on
his rashness, "My honour does not permit me to survive the
disgrace of this day;" and was only recalled to his duty, by
a peremptory order to cover the retreat. At Charleston,
he sallied from the town, and frequently repulsed the be-
siegers, and was again wounded. Having twice received
the thanks of congress, he returned, after the surrender at
York Town, to Carolina, where hearing of the approach of
a party of the enemy, he arose from his sick bed, threw
himself at the head of his corps, and fell in a trifling skir-
mish near the banks of the Combahee. A short time before
his death, he writes to Hamilton, complaining " that the ene-
my's system was perfectly defensive, and rendered the cam-
paign insipid. Many of our sanguine citizens have flatter-
ed themselves with the idea of a prompt evacuation of
Charleston. I wish the garrison would either withdraw or
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? HAMILTON. 391
fight us. Adieu, my dear friend. While circumstances
place so great a distance between us, I entreat you not to
withdraw the consolation of your letters. You know the
unalterable sentiments of your affectionate Laurens. "
Of all the youthful soldiers of the revolution, there is not
one upon whose story the recollections of his contemporaries
have more fondly dwelt. His distinguished place in the
affections of Washington, and the repeated public honours
proffered to him by congress, his numerous and varied ser-
vices, his address in negotiation, his gallantry in battle, his
exalted zeal, and his lofty spirit, elevated him so far above
his fellow-soldiers, that at his name every youthful aspira-
tion of ambition was kindled.
But Laurens was not alone a gallant soldier, a distinguish-
ed patriot, a skilful diplomatist. To these he added all the
endearing and social affections, all the attractions of a noble
nature, all the graces of a refined and cultivated intellect,
and an address which possessed an irresistable, an endless
charm.
Qualities which in other men might have offended by
their contrast, in him only served to give richness of cha-
racter, and create variety of interest. His intrepid spirit
was coupled with a self-distrust, a confiding weakness of
temper, which awakened in his friends surprise and love.
While to others his heart was all kindness and benevolence,
he was unjust only to himself; and while the world saw
him graced with every virtue, he was still aspiring to some
higher excellence, -- an ideal perfection, which is denied to
our nature, and exists only in the warm conceptions of a
mind deeply tinged with romance. Nothing can more fully
express this inward struggle for superior excellence, than
his letter to Hamilton, and the latter's elegant rebuke, that
"he refined on the refinements of sensibility. "
With a bosom not less alive to the most generous emo-
tions, but with a mind of a firmer texture, Hamilton repro-
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? 392 TUB LIFE OF
ved, in the noble spirit of his friend, an excess of that deli-
cacy which he himself cherished.
In the intercourse of these martial youths, there was a
deep fondness of friendship, which approached the tender-
ness of feminine attachment. On the annunciation of his
sad fate, Hamilton writes to La Fayette, -- " Poor Laurens!
he has fallen a sacrifice to his ardour, in a 1 rifling skirmish
in South Carolina. You know how truly I loved him, and
will judge how much I regret him. "
This simple tribute of affection, conveyed a deeper mean-
ing than is expressed; for while his country deplored the
untimely fate of this their favourite youth, cut off in the ca-
reer of honour, his friend knew the deep wound he had re-
ceived at an early period of his life, and that there was that
upon his memory which made the latest moment the most
desired of his existence.
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? HAMILTON.
3U
CHAPTER XV.
(1732. ]
?
At the close of the year, Hamilton, as has been previously
mentioned, returned to Albany.
There, amidst a circle of friends, to whom his social vir-
tues more endeared him than the lustre of his reputation,
he, whose lot from infancy had been cast among strangers,
enjoyed all the happiness of finding in General Schuyler
and his family a second parent, and new relatives.
In this hospitable abode he remained until the ensuing
spring, mingling cheerfully with the small society of a place,
where a simplicity of manners then prevailed, almost patri-
archal; and strengthening the intimacy he had already
formed with Schuyler, who saw, with pride, the develope-
ment of the powers of his mind, and with whom his life
was a continued scene of uninterrupted regard, harmony,
and confidence.
Although no definitive opinion could be formed in the
course of the winter, as to the conclusion of a treaty, and
the measures of congress, prompted by the zealous exhor-
tations of General Washington, indicated a determination
to prepare for a vigorous prosecution of the war, which the
proceedings of the English parliament, at the beginning of
its session evinced no disposition to discontinue, yet the
advices received by Colonel Hamilton from the Marquis
De La Fayette, who wras in close conference with the Ame-
rican negotiators, and lending all his influence to promote
their views, and from the Viscount Dc Noailles, of the tem-
per of the continental powers, with the situation of the Bri-
tish army in the northern states, gave little reason to ex-
pect an active campaign in that quarter.
vol. I. 50
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? 394 THE LIFE OF
The birth of a son imposed on him new obligations; and,
influenced by these considerations, he determined to pre-
pare himself for the duties of private life. He selected the
profession of the law, -- a pursuit which was justly deemed
the most honourable in the country, and in which had been
formed the largest number of its most conspicuous charac-
ters.
On the first intimation of this purpose, liis friends, un-
willing to lose his services to the public, strongly urged
him to defer his purpose. The idea of his being appointed
a commissioner to conclude a peace, was suggested to him,
and the slow advances of the legal profession, in an impo-
verished and inactive community were depicted, to deter him
from making what was then deemed a sacrifice.
But his ideas of personal independence, induced him to
decline the most generous offers of aid from Schuyler, and
to the dark professional prospects which were held up, he
replied, with a modest, but confident expression of his re-
liance on the certainties of perseverance.
With these views, he proceeded to Philadelphia, and, al-
though his sole resources were in himself, addressed the fol-
lowing letters to General Washington, strongly illustrative
of the pride and disinterestedness of his character.
: . r,3t:'-<iU ? ,? ;"! !
HAMILTON TO WASHINGTON.
SIR, -m, c
I need not observe to your excellency, that respect for
the opinion of congress will not permit me to be indifferent
to the impressions they may receive of my conduct. On
this principle, though I do not think the subject of the en-
closed letter of sufficient importance to request an official
communication of it, yet I should be happy it might in some
way be known to the members of that honourable body.
Should they hereafter learn, that though retained on the
list of their officers, I am not in the execution of the duties
?
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? HAMILTON. 395
of my station, I wish them to be sensible, that it is not a di-
minished zeal which induces me voluntarily to withdraw
my services, but that I only refrain from intruding them,
when circumstances seem to have made them either not ne-
cessary, or not desired; and that I shall not receive emolu-
ments, without performing the conditions to which they
were annexed. I also wish them to be apprized, upon
what footing my future continuance in the army is placed,
that they may judge how far it is expedient to permit it. I
therefore take the liberty to request the favour of your ex-
cellency to impart the knowledge of my situation, in such
manner as you think most convenient.
I have the honour to be,
With perfect respect,
Your excellency's
Most obedient and humble servant.
HAMILTON TO WASHINGTON.
SIR,
. Your excellency will, I am persuaded, readily admit the
force of this sentiment, that though it is the duty of a good
citizen to devote his services to the public, when it has oc-
casion for them, he cannot, with propriety or delicacy to
himself, obtrude them, when it either has, or appears to
have, none.
The difficulties I experienced last campaign in obtaining
a command, will not suffer me to make any farther applica-
tion on that head.
As I have many reasons to consider my being employed
hereafter in a precarious light, the bare possibility of render-
ing an equivalent, will not justify to my scruples, the receiv-
ing any future emoluments from my commission. I there-
fore renounce, from this time, all claim to the Compensations
attached to my military station during the war, or after it.
But I have motives which will not permit me to resolve on
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? 396 THE LIFE OF
a total resignation. I sincerely hope a prosperous train of
affairs may continue to make it no inconvenience to decline
the services of persons, whose zeal in worse times was found
not altogether useless; but as the most promising appear-
ances are often reversed by unforeseen disasters, and as un-
fortunate events may again make the same zeal of some
value, I am unwilling to put it out of my power to renew
my exertions in the common cause, in the line in which I
have hitherto acted.
I shall, accordingly, retain my rank, while I am permit-
ted to do it; and take this opportunity to declare, that I shall
be at all times ready to obey the call of the public, in any
capacity, civil or military, (consistent with what I owe to
myself,) in which there may be a prospect of my contribut-
ing to the final attainment of the object for which I em-
barked in the service. I have the honour to be,
Very respectfully,
Your excellency's
Most obedient servant,
A. Hamilton.
Philadelphia, March 1, 1782.
While at Philadelphia, he received a letter relating to the
same subject, from his friend Colonel Meade, to which the
following is a reply.
HAMILTON TO MEADE.
Philadelphia, March, 1782.
An half hour since brought me the pleasure of your let-
ter of December last. It went to Albany and came from
thence to this place. I heartily felicitate you on the birth
of your daughter. I can well conceive your happiness upon
that occasion, by that which I feel on a similar one.
Indeed, the sensations of a tender father of the child of a
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? HAMILTON. 897
beloved mother, can only be conceived by those who have
experienced them.
Your heart, my Meade, is peculiarly formed for enjoy-
ments of this kind. You have every right to be a happy
husband, a happy father. You have every prospect of be-
ing so. I hope your felicity may never be interrupted.
You cannot imagine how entirely domestic I am grow-
ing. I lose all taste for the pursuits of ambition. I sigh
for nothing but the company of my wife and my baby. The
ties of duty alone, or imagined duty, keep me from renoun-
cing public life altogether. It is, however, probable, I may
not be any longer actively engaged in it.
I have explained to you the difficulties which I met with
in obtaining a command last campaign. I thought it in-
compatible with the delicacy due to myself to make any
application this campaign. I have expressed this senti-
ment in a letter to the General, and, retaining my rank only,
have relinquished the emoluments of my commission, de-
claring myself, notwithstanding, ready at all times to obey
the calls of the public.
have just come to my knowledge, assure me that our ope-
rations will be expeditious, as well as our success certain.
Early in November, as I promised you, we shall certainly
meet. Cheer yourself with this idea, and with the assu-
rance of never more being separated. Every day confirms
me in the intention of renouncing public life, and devoting
myself wholly to you. Let others waste their time and their
tranquillity in a vain pursuit of power and glory; -- be it
my object to be happy in a quiet retreat,. with my better
angel. " Again he writes from Annapolis, -- " How che-
quered is human life? --how precarious is happiness? --
how easily do we often part with it for a shadow? These
are the reflections that frequently intrude themselves upon
me, with a painful application. I am going to do my duty.
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? HAMILTON. 379
Our operations will be so conducted, as to economize the
lives of men. Exert your fortitude, and rely upon heaven. "
These repeated expressions of attachment, are but the
gentler declarations of the strong feelings which animated
his breast, always full of tenderness to every object of his
regard. It is apparent from his correspondence at this
time, that he entertained a fixed purpose, should the oppor-
tunity offer, of establishing his military character on still
higher ground, and winning a meed of fame, connected
with the last great event in his country's early glory, and
that he foresaw, with a deep foreboding of danger, the
high enterprise to which his ambition pledged him.
The transports which had been furnished by Barras, in
the absence of De Grasse, reached the harbour between
James Town and Williamsburg, on the twenty-second of
September, with the advance of the Americans, where
they disembarked, the residue soon following. The whole
body moved forward, and on the twenty-eighth arrived
within two miles of the enemy's works at York Town;
Hamilton commanding a corps of light infantry, which was
attached to the division of La Fayette, who had joined with
the remains of the little army of Virginia.
The selection of this position by Lord Cornwallis, under
the circumstances in which he was placed, ean by no means
be regarded as exhibiting a want of military skill. Had
the British General pursued his own wishes, he would have
returned to the command of the army in South Carolina;
but this would have been a violation of his orders from Sir
Henry Clinton, who, apprehensive for his own safety, had
directed a portion of the forces in Virginia to return to New-
York. It had, also, been a favourite object with the Bri-
tish ministry, to establish a permanent and central post,.
whence their naval enterprises could be more successfully
conducted. Portsmouth, at first, attracted the attention of
the British General, but was found wholly unsuited to his
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? 380 THE LIFE OF
purpose. He next had in view the establishment of his
army at Point Comfort, but greater objections existed to
it, and York Town remained the only choice.
This small village, lying on the south side of the noble
stream whence it derives its name, is situated on the beau-
tiful peninsula, formed by the York and the James, in their
approach to the Chesapeake.
Gloucester, which is on the north and opposite side of
the York, projects so far into the river, that the distance
between the headlands little exceeds a mile.
Here Cornwallis, intercepted in his retreat to the inte-
rior by La Fayette, who after a series of masterly move-
ments, had completely kept him at bay, -- deterred, also,
by the violent heats of the season, and cut off by De Grasse
from all hopes of succour by sea, had concentrated his
army, to the number of seven thousand men.
On the west and northwest, his post was protected by an
inlet from the river, a morass, and a deep ravine. On the
high banks of the river to the north, batteries were erect-
ed, which co-operating with those on the Gloucester side,
controlled the river pass, which was narrowed by vessels
sunk in the channel, and was also commanded by several
ships of war stationed in the offing. The south and south-
west, the most accessible points, were covered by an ex-
tensive line of field fortifications, which his army were en-
gaged in throwing up, when the Americans landed.
On their approach, a show of opposition was made on
their left, but a few pieces being advanced by Viomenil,
the enemy receded. On the twenty-ninth of September,
the Americans took their ground in front and on the left of
their works, and kept up a light and scattering fusilade.
The enemy, apprehensive they would get between their
outworks and the town, evacuated the greater part of them
on the following day, and they were occupied by the Ame-
rican light infantry, supported by their allies. During the
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? HAMILTON. 3S1
ensuing days, the besiegers were engaged in throwing up
redoubts, which was effected with great intrepidity, under
a heavy cannonade.
On the sixth of October, the army moved forward, and
opened their first parallel, within six hundred yards of the
enemy, under cover by day light. Hamilton now moved
his corps of light infantry into the works, and planted their
standards on the top of the line of the parallel. On the
ninth and tenth, six heavy batteries, three French and three
American, opened a heavy fire on the British, which dis-
mounted some of their guns, injured their embrasures, and
compelled them to shelter their cannon behind the merlons.
This was followed by an almost entire suspension of the
fire, and the loss of their heaviest vessel, the Charon, a
forty-four gun frigate, by a hot shot from the French bat-
tery, which burnt to the water's edge, presenting, in a serene
night, a magnificent and melancholy spectacle.
On the evening of the eleventh, the second parallel was
opened by Steuben's division, which was carried on within
three hundred and sixty yards of the enemy's batteries,
with amazing rapidity during the night; while their shot
and shells kept up a continual and dazzling blaze, and was
completed on the succeeding day.
It now became necessary to obtain possession of two de-
tached redoubts, which were advanced on the left of the
enemy, within three hundred yards in their front, which
enfiladed the whole line of the American entrenchments,
and were supposed to command the communication be-
tween York and Gloucester. The heavy and incessant fire
which had been poured in upon them, it was believed, had
rendered them practicable, and it was determined to carry
them by assault. The work on the extreme left to be
forced by the American light infantry, comprising a part of
La Fayette's division ; that on the right, by a detachment of
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? S82 THE LIFE OF
French grenadiers and chasseurs, commanded by De Vio-
menil.
This was the opportunity for which Hamilton had so
long, so eagerly hoped, of signalizing himself by some act
of distinguished prowess. But he was on the point of
losing it. The fourteenth of October was his tour of duty,
but from a supposed precedence due to that part of the
light infantry which had made the Virginian campaign,
Washington had determined to give the attack to Colonel
Barber.
The moment Hamilton learned this arrangement, he left
Major Fish, proceeded immediately to the General's quar-
ters and remonstrated with him> claiming the right of the
attack, as the officer on duty. His appeal was successful,
and Hamilton returned in the highest spirits, exclaiming to
Fish, " We have it! we have it! " The disposition was then
made to advance in two columns. The right composed of
Gimat's battalion, and Hamilton's, under Major Fish. The
left, under Laurens, with a small body of picked men, who
was directed to take them in reverse.
The redoubt, on the right, was to be attacked by a body
of grenadiers, under Count Deux Ponts and Colonel
L'Estrade, supported by the regiment of Gatinois: a dis-
position intended to prevent any jealousy between the ar-
mies, and to excite their emulation.
The signal of attack was a shell from the American bat-
tery, with a corresponding one from the French.
As soon as the first shell reached its zenith,, that from the
French battery also ascended. Hamilton then gave the
order to advance at the point of the bayonet, pushed forward,
and before the rest of the corps had ascended the abatis,
mounted over it, stood for a moment on the parapet, with
three of his soldiers, encouraging the others to follow, and
sprung into the ditch. Fish followed. Gimat, receiving a
wound from the first sentinel as they were unmasking, was
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? HAMILTON. 383
compelled to retire. The American infantry, animated by
the address and example of their leader, pressed on, with
muskets unloaded and fixed bayonets. They soon reached
the counterscarp, under a heavy and constant fire from the
redoubt, and surmounting the abatis, ditch, and palisades,
mounted the parapet, and leaped into the work.
Hamilton, who had pressed forward, followed by the
van guard under Mansfield, was, for a short time, lost sight
of, and it was feared he had fallen: but he soon re-appear-
ed, formed the troops in the redoubt, and as soon as it sur-
rendered gave the command to Major Fish.
The impetuosity of the attack carried all before it, and
within nine minutes from the time the abatis was passed,
the work was gained. "Not a gun," says La Fayette," was
fired. The ardour of the troops did not give time for the
sappers to derange the abatis; and owing to the conduct
of the commander, and bravery of the men, the redoubt
was stormed with uncommon rapidity. "* "Few cases,"
says Washington, " have exhibited greater proofs of intre-
pidity, coolness, and firmness, than were shown on this oc-
casion. "
Colonel Barber's battalion, the first in the supporting co-
lumn,'arrived at the moment the advance were getting over
the works, and executed their orders with the utmost ala-
crity, (the Colonel being slightly wounded,) while the rest
of the division, under Muhlenburg and Hagen, advanced
with admirable firmness, and formed their columns with
perfect silence and order, under the fire of the enemy.
The gallantry of the storm was not less distinguished
than the humanity of the victors. In the midst of the
works, as soon as Hamilton saw the enemy driven back,
. * "Colonel Hamilton, whose well-known talents and gallantry were most
conspicuous. Our obligations to him, to Colonel Gimat, and Colonel Lau-
rens, and to each and all the officers and men, are beyond expression. "
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? 384 THE LIFE OF
he ordered his men to halt, and excepting in the charge at
the onset, not a man was injured. An incident occurred
as soon as they entered the redoubt, to which Hamilton re-
fers in his report. "Incapable of imitating examples of
barbarity, and forgetting recent provocations, the soldiery
spared every man who ceased to fight. "
Colonel Scammel, of the light infantry, while reconnoi-
tering, a few days before, was surprised by a party of
horse, and after he was taken was wantonly wounded, of
which wound he died. When Colonel Campbell, who
commanded the redoubt, advanced to surrender, a captain,-
who had served under Scammel, seized a bayonet, and
drew back with the intent of plunging it into his breast,
when Hamilton turned it aside, and Campbell, exclaiming,
"I place myself under your protection," was made prisoner
by Laurens. *
* Doctor Gordon, whose statements are often erroneous, says, in speak-
ing of this affair, "The light infantry of the Americans were command-
ed by Marquis La Fayette, and the service was allotted to a select corps.
The Marquis said to General Washington, 'The troops should retaliate on
the British for the cruelties they have practised. ' The General answered,
'You have full command, and may order as you please. ' The Marquis or-
dered the party to remember New-London, and to retaliate by putting the
men in the redoubt] to the sword, after having carried it -- *********
Lieutenant Colonel Laurens personally took the commanding officer. The
Colonel's humanity and that of the Americans, so overcame their resentments
that they spared the British. When bringing them off, as prisoners, they said
among themselves, 'Why, how is this? We were ordered. 'to put them to
death. ' Being asked by others why they had not done it, they answered,'We
could not, when they begged so hard upon their knees for their lives. '" To
this shameful fabrication, the attention of Colonel Hamilton was drawn. It is
thus refuted:
To the Editor of the Evening Post.
New-York, August 10, 1802.
SIR,
Finding that a story, long since propagated, under circumstances which it
was expected would soon consign it to oblivion, (and by winch I have been
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? HAMILTON. 385
The redoubt on the right was also taken, but with less
celerity, the Americans having the work in their posses-
sion, and being regularly formed, while their allies were
yet engaged in removing the abatis.
The fate of the enemy was now decided. The second
parallel was continued during the night, the two redoubts
enveloped, and a line of communication opened with the
first before break of day. As a last effort, a sortie was
made, towards day-light of the sixteenth, which proved un-
successful.
Cornwallis, who knew the weakness of his defences,
and had placed his only hopes on succour from New-York,
resolved to make a desperate attempt to cross to Glouces-
ter, intending to escape by land to New-York. Boats were
prepared, and a part of the troops embarked, when a vio-
lent storm arose, which drove the boats down the river, and
prevented the completion of his bold design. New batteries
were now finished by the Americans; the whole works
were mounted, and a heavy and irresistible cannonade en-
complimented at the expense of Generals Washington and La Fayette,) has
of late been revived, and has acquired a degree of importance by being repeat-
ed in different publications, as well in Europe as America, it becomes a duty to
counteract its currency and influence by an explicit disavowal.
The story imports in substance, that General La Fayette, with the appro-
bation or connivance of General Washington, ordered me, as the officer who
was to command the attack on a British redoubt, in the course of the siege of
York Town, to put to death all those of the enemy who should happen to be
taken in the redoubt, and that through motives of humanity I forbore to execute
the order.
Positively and unequivocally I declare, that no such nor similar order, nor
any intimation nor hint resembling it, was ever by me received, or understood
to have been given.
It is needless to enter into an explanation of some occurrences on the occa-
sion alluded to, which may be conjectured to have given rise to the calumny.
It is enough to say, that they were entirely disconnected with any act of either
of the Generals who have been accused.
With esteem I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
A. Hamilton.
vol. I. 49
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? 386 THE LIFE OF
sued. On the morning of the seventeenth, while the light
infantry were in the trenches, the chamade was beat, and
propositions for surrender made. It is related by Colonel
Fish, that when the sealed packet addressed to Washing-
ton, which was delivered to La Fayette, came in, the Ge-
neral was riding along the line. He had passed Hamilton,
and as soon as he had read the despatch, sent for him, and
asked his opinion as to the terms. After a short time, a
suspension of hostilities was agreed to, and the enemy capi-
tulated; Laurens, at the surrender, representing the Ame-
rican army, both as an honour due to his distinguished me-
rits, and to remind the British king, that he, whose father
was a prisoner in the Tower, held in his hands the fate of
the commander of his armies. *
Congratulations now poured in upon Washington, and
upon his allies, from every quarter of the country; the pub-
lic bodies vieing with each other, in an emulation of grati-
tude. A vote of thanks was rapturously passed by con-
gress, a marble column was ordered to be erected at York
Town, in commemoration of the event, and special honours
were conferred on both commanders.
While receiving the warmest expressions of admiration
from the whole army, Hamilton, thus modestly, in a letter
written to soothe the anxiety of his wife, adverts to what
had passed. "Two nights ago,f my Eliza, my duty and my
honour obliged me to take a step in which your happiness
was too much risked. I commanded an attack upon one
of the enemy's redoubts; we carried it in an instant, and
with little loss. You will see the particulars in the Phila-
delphia papers. There will be, certainly, nothing more of
this kind; all the rest will be by approach; and if there
should be another occasion, it will not fall to my turn to
execute it. "
* Cornwallis was, it is believed, at this time Constable of the Tower,
t October 16th.
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? HAMILTON. 387
Washington,. anxious to push his advantages, solicited
De Grasse to co-operate in the relief of Wilmington and
Charleston. The former object was at first assented to;
but the French admiral conceiving it his duty to return to
the West Indies, changed his views. The plan was aban-
doned, and after having completed the arrangements for
the disposal of the captured army, while the French re-
mained in Virginia, the Americans returned to the north,
and were cantoned, in the latter part of November, in
New-Jersey and in New-York.
Washington, having concerted measures for the next
campaign in a personal interview with congress, revisited
Mount Vernon, loaded with laurels, and crowned with glo-
ry, while Hamilton returned on furlough to his home.
Gratifying as had been the result of this campaign, which
sealed the national independence, and proud as were his
reflections in reviewing the long series of services he had
rendered his country, and in being connected so conspicu-
ously with an event which may be regarded as the closing
scene of the revolution, yet those reflections were not un-
mingled with others of a deeply painful character. Though,
with every uncorrupted mind, he deplored the miseries of
war,* yet long service had confirmed in his bosom a fond-
ness for military life. As an eloquent friend has well re-
marked, "his early education was in the camp; there his
earliest and most cordial friendships were formed; there
he became enamoured of glory, and was admitted to her
? In a letter to a friend, written after the close of the campaign of 1776, he
observes: "Tour sentiments respecting war are perfectly j ust. I don't wonder
at your antipathy to it.
Every fine feeling of a delicate mind revolts from the
idea of shedding human blood, and multiplying'the common evils of life by
the artificial methods incident to that state. Were it not for the evident ne-
cessity, and in defence of all that is valuable in society, I could never be re-
conciled to a military character, and shall rejoice when the restoration of
peace, on the basis of freedom and independence, shall put it in my power to
renounce it. "
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? 888 THE LIFE OF
embrace. "* This life was now soon to end, and those
friendships, so warmly cherished, could be cultivated only
at intervals.
Knowing also that the army was not a favourite of con-
gress, he could not but survey, for the last time, with pain,
the war-worn faces of those faithful men, who, while win-
ning the liberties of their country, had won for her such im-
perishable renown, requited, as he felt they were to be, by
the grossest ingratitude.
Of his immediate companions in the family of Washing-
ton, with two he had already parted. Early in the year,
Meade, who had recently married, retired from the service,
and except by his gallantry in rushing to the aid of Steuben,
and repulsing the advances of Arnold from his native state,
was no longer known as a public man.
The " Old Secretary," Harrison, as he was familiarly call-
ed, left the army the previous spring, having been appoint-
ed, by the state of Maryland, Chief Justice of its Supreme
Court; which situation he filled until the adoption of the
Federal Constitution, when such was Washington's estimate
of the claims of this meritorious individual upon his country,
that he nominated him a Judge of the Supreme Court of
the United States, immediately after its organization, which
he declined. f
* Fisher Ames.
t The following letter, written by Colonel Harrison to Hamilton, as a vin-
dication of his motives for leaving the army, may not be deemed inappropriate,
as an act of justice to an early friend.
"New-Windsor, , 1781.
"I came here, my dear Hamilton, on Friday night to bid adieu to the Gene-
ral, to you, and to my other friends as a military man, and regretted much that
I had not the happiness of seeing you. To-morrow I am obliged to depart,
and it is possible our separation may be forever. But be this as it may, it can
only be with respect to our persons, for as to affection, mine for you will con-
tinue to my latest breath. This event will probably surprise you, but from
your knowledge of me, I rely you will conclude at the instant, that no light
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? HAMILTON.
Tilghman, McIIenry, and Laurens remained in the ser-
vice.
The first, whose social virtues were only equalled by his
military daring, continued with the commander-in-chief un-
til his resignation, from whom he received the warmest ac-
knowledgements of gratitude. He then established himself
in Baltimore, where he died in seventeen hundred and eigh-
ty-six.
McHenry, whom Hamilton described "as sensible, judi-
cious, well informed, of an intrepidity never questioned, and
of a temper, which though firm in the support of principles,
was full of moderation and amenity," returned to Maryland,
where he exercised a salutary influence in the councils of
that state, filled a seat in congress a short time, and closed
his public life as Secretary at War.
But the individual who held the first place in Hamilton's
considerations would have taken me from the army; and, I think, I might
safely have rested the matter here. However, as the friendship between us,
gives you a claim to something more, and as I am not indifferent about cha-
racter, and shall be anxious to have the esteem of all who are good and virtu-
ously great, I shall detail to you, my friend, the more substantial reasons which
have led to my present conduct. I go from the army, then, because I have
found, on examination, that my little fortune, earned by an honest and hard
industry, was becoming embarrassed; to attend to the education of my chil-
dren; to provide, if possible, for the payment of a considerable sum of money,
with which I stand charged in the partition of my father's estate; to save a
house which I had begun, and without instant attention would be ruined; and
because the state of Maryland, in a flattering manner, have been pleased to
appoint me to a place, very respectable in its nature, corresponding with my
former, and interesting to my whole future life and support: -- they have ap-
pointed me to the chair of the Supreme Court. These, my friend, are the mo-
tives to my present resolution. My own feelings are satisfied on the occasion,
though I cannot but regret parting with the most valuable acquaintances I
have, and I hope they will justify me most fully to you, my Hamilton, espe-
pecially when you consider the time I have been in the service, and the com-
pensation I have received * * *. Adieu.
"Yours, in haste, most affectionately,
"Robt. H. Harrison. "
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? THE LIFE OF
affections was Laurens,with whom he now parted, not again
to meet.
This heroic soldier joined the army in the beginning of
seventeen hundred and seventy-seven; distinguished him-
self at Brandywine, and at Germantown only retired after
an impetuous, though unadvised attempt upon Chew's house,
from which Hamilton endeavoured to dissuade him, after
having received a severe wound, and having left two-thirds
of his men upon the field.
At Monmouth, where every member of Washington's staff
contended not only for their country, but for the honour of
their chief, he was conspicuous in leading the soldiers to the
charge, and rallying them on the retreat. At Rhode-Island,
he commanded a regiment of infantry, and received the es-
pecial thanks of Sullivan for his order and gallantry.
He was incessantly employed in various operations while
at the south. At the siege of Savannah, he gave a singular
instance of his high-wrought feelings. After the defeat, he
stood lost in abstraction, with his arms wide extended, in
the midst of a heavy fire, and replied to a remonstrance on
his rashness, "My honour does not permit me to survive the
disgrace of this day;" and was only recalled to his duty, by
a peremptory order to cover the retreat. At Charleston,
he sallied from the town, and frequently repulsed the be-
siegers, and was again wounded. Having twice received
the thanks of congress, he returned, after the surrender at
York Town, to Carolina, where hearing of the approach of
a party of the enemy, he arose from his sick bed, threw
himself at the head of his corps, and fell in a trifling skir-
mish near the banks of the Combahee. A short time before
his death, he writes to Hamilton, complaining " that the ene-
my's system was perfectly defensive, and rendered the cam-
paign insipid. Many of our sanguine citizens have flatter-
ed themselves with the idea of a prompt evacuation of
Charleston. I wish the garrison would either withdraw or
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? HAMILTON. 391
fight us. Adieu, my dear friend. While circumstances
place so great a distance between us, I entreat you not to
withdraw the consolation of your letters. You know the
unalterable sentiments of your affectionate Laurens. "
Of all the youthful soldiers of the revolution, there is not
one upon whose story the recollections of his contemporaries
have more fondly dwelt. His distinguished place in the
affections of Washington, and the repeated public honours
proffered to him by congress, his numerous and varied ser-
vices, his address in negotiation, his gallantry in battle, his
exalted zeal, and his lofty spirit, elevated him so far above
his fellow-soldiers, that at his name every youthful aspira-
tion of ambition was kindled.
But Laurens was not alone a gallant soldier, a distinguish-
ed patriot, a skilful diplomatist. To these he added all the
endearing and social affections, all the attractions of a noble
nature, all the graces of a refined and cultivated intellect,
and an address which possessed an irresistable, an endless
charm.
Qualities which in other men might have offended by
their contrast, in him only served to give richness of cha-
racter, and create variety of interest. His intrepid spirit
was coupled with a self-distrust, a confiding weakness of
temper, which awakened in his friends surprise and love.
While to others his heart was all kindness and benevolence,
he was unjust only to himself; and while the world saw
him graced with every virtue, he was still aspiring to some
higher excellence, -- an ideal perfection, which is denied to
our nature, and exists only in the warm conceptions of a
mind deeply tinged with romance. Nothing can more fully
express this inward struggle for superior excellence, than
his letter to Hamilton, and the latter's elegant rebuke, that
"he refined on the refinements of sensibility. "
With a bosom not less alive to the most generous emo-
tions, but with a mind of a firmer texture, Hamilton repro-
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? 392 TUB LIFE OF
ved, in the noble spirit of his friend, an excess of that deli-
cacy which he himself cherished.
In the intercourse of these martial youths, there was a
deep fondness of friendship, which approached the tender-
ness of feminine attachment. On the annunciation of his
sad fate, Hamilton writes to La Fayette, -- " Poor Laurens!
he has fallen a sacrifice to his ardour, in a 1 rifling skirmish
in South Carolina. You know how truly I loved him, and
will judge how much I regret him. "
This simple tribute of affection, conveyed a deeper mean-
ing than is expressed; for while his country deplored the
untimely fate of this their favourite youth, cut off in the ca-
reer of honour, his friend knew the deep wound he had re-
ceived at an early period of his life, and that there was that
upon his memory which made the latest moment the most
desired of his existence.
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? HAMILTON.
3U
CHAPTER XV.
(1732. ]
?
At the close of the year, Hamilton, as has been previously
mentioned, returned to Albany.
There, amidst a circle of friends, to whom his social vir-
tues more endeared him than the lustre of his reputation,
he, whose lot from infancy had been cast among strangers,
enjoyed all the happiness of finding in General Schuyler
and his family a second parent, and new relatives.
In this hospitable abode he remained until the ensuing
spring, mingling cheerfully with the small society of a place,
where a simplicity of manners then prevailed, almost patri-
archal; and strengthening the intimacy he had already
formed with Schuyler, who saw, with pride, the develope-
ment of the powers of his mind, and with whom his life
was a continued scene of uninterrupted regard, harmony,
and confidence.
Although no definitive opinion could be formed in the
course of the winter, as to the conclusion of a treaty, and
the measures of congress, prompted by the zealous exhor-
tations of General Washington, indicated a determination
to prepare for a vigorous prosecution of the war, which the
proceedings of the English parliament, at the beginning of
its session evinced no disposition to discontinue, yet the
advices received by Colonel Hamilton from the Marquis
De La Fayette, who wras in close conference with the Ame-
rican negotiators, and lending all his influence to promote
their views, and from the Viscount Dc Noailles, of the tem-
per of the continental powers, with the situation of the Bri-
tish army in the northern states, gave little reason to ex-
pect an active campaign in that quarter.
vol. I. 50
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? 394 THE LIFE OF
The birth of a son imposed on him new obligations; and,
influenced by these considerations, he determined to pre-
pare himself for the duties of private life. He selected the
profession of the law, -- a pursuit which was justly deemed
the most honourable in the country, and in which had been
formed the largest number of its most conspicuous charac-
ters.
On the first intimation of this purpose, liis friends, un-
willing to lose his services to the public, strongly urged
him to defer his purpose. The idea of his being appointed
a commissioner to conclude a peace, was suggested to him,
and the slow advances of the legal profession, in an impo-
verished and inactive community were depicted, to deter him
from making what was then deemed a sacrifice.
But his ideas of personal independence, induced him to
decline the most generous offers of aid from Schuyler, and
to the dark professional prospects which were held up, he
replied, with a modest, but confident expression of his re-
liance on the certainties of perseverance.
With these views, he proceeded to Philadelphia, and, al-
though his sole resources were in himself, addressed the fol-
lowing letters to General Washington, strongly illustrative
of the pride and disinterestedness of his character.
: . r,3t:'-<iU ? ,? ;"! !
HAMILTON TO WASHINGTON.
SIR, -m, c
I need not observe to your excellency, that respect for
the opinion of congress will not permit me to be indifferent
to the impressions they may receive of my conduct. On
this principle, though I do not think the subject of the en-
closed letter of sufficient importance to request an official
communication of it, yet I should be happy it might in some
way be known to the members of that honourable body.
Should they hereafter learn, that though retained on the
list of their officers, I am not in the execution of the duties
?
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? HAMILTON. 395
of my station, I wish them to be sensible, that it is not a di-
minished zeal which induces me voluntarily to withdraw
my services, but that I only refrain from intruding them,
when circumstances seem to have made them either not ne-
cessary, or not desired; and that I shall not receive emolu-
ments, without performing the conditions to which they
were annexed. I also wish them to be apprized, upon
what footing my future continuance in the army is placed,
that they may judge how far it is expedient to permit it. I
therefore take the liberty to request the favour of your ex-
cellency to impart the knowledge of my situation, in such
manner as you think most convenient.
I have the honour to be,
With perfect respect,
Your excellency's
Most obedient and humble servant.
HAMILTON TO WASHINGTON.
SIR,
. Your excellency will, I am persuaded, readily admit the
force of this sentiment, that though it is the duty of a good
citizen to devote his services to the public, when it has oc-
casion for them, he cannot, with propriety or delicacy to
himself, obtrude them, when it either has, or appears to
have, none.
The difficulties I experienced last campaign in obtaining
a command, will not suffer me to make any farther applica-
tion on that head.
As I have many reasons to consider my being employed
hereafter in a precarious light, the bare possibility of render-
ing an equivalent, will not justify to my scruples, the receiv-
ing any future emoluments from my commission. I there-
fore renounce, from this time, all claim to the Compensations
attached to my military station during the war, or after it.
But I have motives which will not permit me to resolve on
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? 396 THE LIFE OF
a total resignation. I sincerely hope a prosperous train of
affairs may continue to make it no inconvenience to decline
the services of persons, whose zeal in worse times was found
not altogether useless; but as the most promising appear-
ances are often reversed by unforeseen disasters, and as un-
fortunate events may again make the same zeal of some
value, I am unwilling to put it out of my power to renew
my exertions in the common cause, in the line in which I
have hitherto acted.
I shall, accordingly, retain my rank, while I am permit-
ted to do it; and take this opportunity to declare, that I shall
be at all times ready to obey the call of the public, in any
capacity, civil or military, (consistent with what I owe to
myself,) in which there may be a prospect of my contribut-
ing to the final attainment of the object for which I em-
barked in the service. I have the honour to be,
Very respectfully,
Your excellency's
Most obedient servant,
A. Hamilton.
Philadelphia, March 1, 1782.
While at Philadelphia, he received a letter relating to the
same subject, from his friend Colonel Meade, to which the
following is a reply.
HAMILTON TO MEADE.
Philadelphia, March, 1782.
An half hour since brought me the pleasure of your let-
ter of December last. It went to Albany and came from
thence to this place. I heartily felicitate you on the birth
of your daughter. I can well conceive your happiness upon
that occasion, by that which I feel on a similar one.
Indeed, the sensations of a tender father of the child of a
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? HAMILTON. 897
beloved mother, can only be conceived by those who have
experienced them.
Your heart, my Meade, is peculiarly formed for enjoy-
ments of this kind. You have every right to be a happy
husband, a happy father. You have every prospect of be-
ing so. I hope your felicity may never be interrupted.
You cannot imagine how entirely domestic I am grow-
ing. I lose all taste for the pursuits of ambition. I sigh
for nothing but the company of my wife and my baby. The
ties of duty alone, or imagined duty, keep me from renoun-
cing public life altogether. It is, however, probable, I may
not be any longer actively engaged in it.
I have explained to you the difficulties which I met with
in obtaining a command last campaign. I thought it in-
compatible with the delicacy due to myself to make any
application this campaign. I have expressed this senti-
ment in a letter to the General, and, retaining my rank only,
have relinquished the emoluments of my commission, de-
claring myself, notwithstanding, ready at all times to obey
the calls of the public.
