Alexander Hamilton

by Ron Chernow

  16. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 302. 17. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 9.

  18. Speeches at Full Length of Mr. Van Ness, p. 67. 19. NYHS-MM, reel 11, Nathaniel Pendleton, obituary notice for Alexander Hamilton. 20. PAH, vol. 26, p. 243, letter from Aaron Burr, June 18, 1804.

  21. Ibid., p. 247, “William P. Van Ness’s Narrative of the Events of June 18–21, 1804.”

  58. J. P. Morgan Chase Archives, RG 11, letter from John B. Church to Philip Church, July 16, 1804, New York, N.Y.

  59. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 303. 60. Strong, Letters of George W. Strong, p. 16. 61. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 303. 62. Ellis, Founding Brothers, p. 36.

  63. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 348. 64. PAH, vol. 26, p. 281, letter to James A. Hamilton, June 1804.

  65. Ibid., p. 282.

  66. CU-JCHP, box 20.

  67. PAH, vol. 26, p. 288, “Statement of My Property and Debts, July 1, 1804.”

  68. Ibid., p. 289.

  69. Ibid.

  70. Ibid., p. 280, “Statement on Impending Duel with Aaron Burr,” June 28–July 10, 1804. 71. Ibid., p. 279.

  72. Ibid.

  73. Ibid., p. 280.

  74. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 617.

  22. Ibid.

  23. Ibid., p. 248, letter to Aaron Burr, June 20, 1804.

  24. Ibid.

  25. Ibid., p. 249.

  26. Ibid., p. 250, letter from Aaron Burr, June 21, 1804.

  27. Ibid., p. 251, “William P. Van Ness’s Narrative of the Events of June 22, 1804.”

  28. Ibid.

  29. Ibid., p. 252.

  30. Davis, Memoirs of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 303.

  31. PAH, vol. 26, p. 252, “Nathaniel Pendleton’s Narrative of the Events of June 22, 1804.”

  32. Ibid., p. 264, “William P. Van Ness’s Narrative of Later Events of June 25, 1804.”

  33. Ibid., p. 253, letter to Aaron Burr, June 22, 1804.

  34. Ibid., vol. 19, p. 397, letter to George Washington, November 5, 1795.

  35. Fleming, Duel, p. 347.

  36. LC-WPP, reel 1, diary entry of March 15, 1806.

  37. PAH, vol. 26, pp. 255–56, letter from Aaron Burr, June 22, 1804.

  38. Ibid., p. 260, “Nathaniel Pendleton’s Narrative of the Events of June 23–25, 1804.”

  39. Ibid., p. 257, “Aaron Burr’s Instructions to William P. Van Ness,” June 22–23, 1804.

  40. Ibid., p. 261, “Nathaniel Pendleton’s First Account of Alexander Hamilton’s Conversation at John Tayler’s House,” June 25, 1804.

  41. Ibid., p. 264, “William P. Van Ness’s Narrative of the Events of June 25, 1804”; ibid., p. 265, letter from Aaron Burr to William P. Van Ness, June 25, 1804.

  42. Ibid, p. 271, letter from Nathaniel Pendleton to William P. Van Ness, June 26, 1804.

  43. Ibid., p. 278, “Remarks on the Letter of June 27, 1804.”

  44. New-York Evening Post, November 28, 1801.

  45. Freeman, Affairs of Honor, p. 163.

  46. King, Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, vol. 4, p. 396.

  47. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 17.

  48. The William and Mary Quarterly, April 1996.

  49. Kennedy, Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson, p. 12.

  50. Ellis, Founding Brothers, p. 23.

  51. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 15.

  52. The William and Mary Quarterly, April 1996.

  53. PAH, vol. 24, p. 299, letter to Henry Lee, March 7, 1800.

  54. LC-AHP, reel 30, letter from Robert Troup to Timothy Pickering, March 31, 1828.

  55. Ibid.

  56. The Balance and Columbian Repository, August 14, 1804.

  57. Van Vechten, Memoirs of John Mason, p. 187.

  Forty-two: Fatal Errand

  1. PAH, vol. 26, p. 310.

  2. Ibid., p. 311.

  3. Ibid., p. 305, “Last Will and Testament of Alexander Hamilton,” July 9, 1804.

  4. Ibid.

  5. Ibid.

  6. Ibid., p. 300, letter from Aaron Burr to William P. Van Ness, July 9, 1804.

  7. Ibid., p. 301.

  8. Mitchell, Alexander Hamilton: The National Adventure, p. 533.

  9. L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, Weir Family Papers, Vault Manuscripts 51, box 1, folder 11, letter from Dirck Ten Broeck to Abraham Ten Broeck, July 12, 1804.

  10. PAH, vol. 26, p. 311.

  11. LC-AHP, reel 31, “Robert Troup Memoir of General Hamilton,” March 22, 1821.

  12. New-York Evening Post, July 19, 1804. 13. PAH, vol. 26, p. 309, letter to Theodore Sedgwick, July 10, 1804.

  14. Ibid.

  15. Ibid., p. 307, letter to Elizabeth Hamilton, July 10, 1804.

  16. Ibid., p. 308.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Hamilton, Life of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 7, p. 802.

  19. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 347. 20. Davis, Memoirs of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 322. 21. Ibid.

  59. Ibid.

  60. Ibid., p. 184.

  61. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 8.

  62. PAH, vol. 26, p. 315, letter from Benjamin Moore to William Coleman, July 12, 1804. 63. Ibid.

  64. Ibid., p. 316.

  65. Ibid., p. 347, letter from David Hosack to William Coleman, August 17, 1804.

  66. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 11.

  67. Fleming, Duel, p. 331.

  68. Brookhiser, Gentleman Revolutionary, p. 173. 69. Hamilton, Federalist, p. lxxxix.

  70. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, pp. 405–6.

  71. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 12.

  72. PAH, vol. 26, p. 293, letter to Elizabeth Hamilton, July 4, 1804.

  22. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 309.

  23. Freeman, Affairs of Honor, p. 192.

  24. CU-JCHP, box 24.

  25. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 8.

  26. CU-JCHP, box 24.

  27. Mitchell, Alexander Hamilton: The National Adventure, p. 534.

  28. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, p. 354.

  29. New-York Evening Post, July 19, 1804.

  30. NYHS-WVNP, “Duel Papers,” letter from William Van Ness to Charles Biddle, n.d.

  31. Ibid.

  32. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 617.

  33. Burr, Political Correspondence and Public Papers of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 887.

  34. Ellis, Founding Brothers, p. 40.

  35. Burr, Political Correspondence and Public Papers of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 884.

  36. Ibid., p. 887.

  37. NYHS-WVNP, “Duel Papers,” letter from William Van Ness to Charles Biddle, n.d.

  38. LC-AHP, reel 33, letter from William Van Ness to an unnamed recipient, n.d.

  39. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 617.

  40. PAH, vol. 26, p. 344, letter from David Hosack to William Coleman, August 17, 1804.

  41. Ibid., p. 345.

  42. Ibid.

  43. Fleming, Duel, p. 325.

  44. PAH, vol. 26, p. 345, letter from David Hosack to William Coleman, August 17, 1804.

  45. Ibid.

  46. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 346.

  47. L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, Weir Family Papers, Vault Manuscripts 51, box 1, folder 11, letter from Dirck Ten Broeck to Abraham Ten Broeck, July 12, 1804.

  48. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 7.

  49. PAH, vol. 26, p. 317.

  50. Ibid., p. 346, letter from David Hosack to William Coleman, August 17, 1804.

  51. Ibid., p. 345.

  52. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, pp. 9–10.

  53. Phelan, Man Who
Owned the Pistols, p. 111.

  54. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 404.

  55. PAH, vol. 25, p. 403, letter to Rufus King, July 28, 1801.

  56. Van Vechten, Memoirs of John Mason, p. 182.

  57. Ibid.

  58. Ibid., p. 183.

  Forty-three: The Melting Scene 1. King, Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, vol. 4, p. 575.

  2. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 302.

  3. McDonald, Sermon on the Premature and Lamented Death of General Alexander Hamilton, p. 14.

  4. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 49.

  5. Brookhiser, Gentleman Revolutionary, p. 173.

  6. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 2.

  7. Ogden, Four Letters on the Death of Alexander Hamilton, p. 13.

  8. Freeman, Affairs of Honor, p. 191.

  9. Morris, Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris, pp. 456–57.

  10. Ibid., p. 458.

  11. Ibid., p. 457.

  12. PAH, vol. 26, p. 324.

  13. New-York Evening Post, July 17, 1804.

  14. American Citizen, July 16, 1804.

  15. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 2.

  16. Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia, p. 111. 17. Van Vechten, Memoirs of John Mason, p. 187. 18. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 422.

  19. Malone, Jefferson and His Time, vol. 4, p. 426. 20. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 19.

  21. Ibid., p. 13.

  22. Malone, Jefferson and His Time, vol. 4, p. 425. 23. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 364. 24. Biddle, Autobiography of Charles Biddle, p. 305.

  25. L. Tom Perry Special Collections Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, Weir Family Papers, Vault Manuscripts 51, box 1, folder 11, letter from Dirck Ten Broeck to Abraham Ten Broeck, July 12, 1804.

  26. The Balance and Columbian Repository, August 14, 1804.

  27. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 358.

  28. LC-AHP, reel 31, “Remembrancer,” New York Mirror, n.d.

  29. Journal of the Early Republic, spring 1995.

  30. Ibid.

  31. Davis, Memoirs of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 327.

  32. Burr, Political Correspondence and Public Papers of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 885.

  33. Ibid., p. 884.

  34. Davis, Memoirs of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 328.

  35. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, p. 357.

  36. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, p. 29.

  37. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 358.

  38. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, p. 358.

  39. Fleming, Duel, p. 352.

  40. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, p. 360.

  41. Ibid., p. 361.

  42. Fleming, Duel, p. 357.

  43. Burr, Political Correspondence and Public Papers of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 818.

  44. Freeman, Affairs of Honor, p. 178.

  45. Burr, Political Correspondence and Public Papers of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 899.

  46. Ibid., p. 896.

  47. Adams, Diary of John Quincy Adams, p. 32.

  48. Fleming, Duel, p. 369.

  49. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, p. 48.

  50. Davis, Memoirs of Aaron Burr, vol. 2, p. 365.

  51. Smith, John Marshall, p. 362.

  52. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 427.

  53. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, p. 309.

  54. “Life Portraits of Alexander Hamilton,” The William and Mary Quarterly, April 1955.

  55. Lomask, Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, p. 364.

  56. Ibid., p. 372.

  57. Kent, Memoirs and Letters of James Kent, p. 36.

  58. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, pp. 427–28.

  59. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 50.

  60. Parton, Life and Times of Aaron Burr, p. 616.

  61. Fleming, Duel, p. 404.

  62. The New Republic, June 13, 1983.

  Epilogue: Eliza 1. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 411.

  2. LC-AHP, reel 30, letter from Elizabeth Hamilton to William S. Smith, August 11, 1804.

  3. NYHS-NPP, letter from Elizabeth Hamilton to Nathaniel Pendleton, September 20, 1804.

  4. King, Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, vol. 4, pp. 403–4.

  5. NYHS-NPP.

  6. PAH, vol. 3, p. 506, “Petition to the New York Legislature,” February 4, 1784.

  7. NYHS-MM, letter from Elizabeth Hamilton to Philip Schuyler, January 9, 1813; Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 140.

  8. NYHS-NPP, letter from Elizabeth Hamilton to George Cabot, September 20, 1804.

  9. Ibid., letter from Elizabeth Hamilton to Nathaniel Pendleton, September 17, 1804. 10. Emery, Alexander Hamilton, p. 246.

  11. Bethune, Memoirs of Mrs. Joanna Bethune, p. 116.

  12. Hamilton, Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton, p. 115.

  13. Ibid., p. 116.

  14. Ibid., p. 117.

  15. Ibid.

  16. Matthews, Short History of the Orphan Asylum Society in the City of New York, p. 12.

  17. Frémont, Souvenirs of My Time, p. 117. 18. Hamilton, Reminiscences of James A. Hamilton, p. 65.

  19. Bethune, Memoirs of Mrs. Joanna Bethune, p. 111. 20. Frémont, Souvenirs of My Time, p. 117. 21. Ibid., p. 120.

  22. Ibid., p. 118.

  23. Ibid., p. 115.

  24. Knott, Alexander Hamilton and the Persistence of Myth, p. 242.

  25. Baxter, Godchild of Washington, p. 222. 26. NYHS-DGFP, letter from Elizabeth Hawley to her aunt, January 4, 1853.

  27. LC-AHP, reel 32.

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