Aaron Burr

On July 2, 1782, Aaron Burr married Theodosia Bartow Prevost, an American Patriot, whom he had met as a young soldier in 1777. At that time, she was married to Jacques Marcus Prevost, a British Army officer of Swiss origin and had five children with him.

Although she was ten years senior to him, they gradually fell in love and by 1780, were openly lovers. Later as Prevost died and Burr received his bar license, the two got married and shifted to New York. Their daughter, also named Theodosia, was their only child to survive infancy.

The marriage ended when Theodosia died of stomach cancer in 1794. However, by then he had also fathered two illegitimate children, Louisa Charlotte Burr and John Pierre Burr by Mary Emmons, an East Indian woman who was a servant in the household.

Aaron Burr Jr. was born on February 6, 1756 in Newark, New Jersey. His father, Reverend Aaron Burr Sr., was a Presbyterian minister and second president of the College of New Jersey. His mother, Esther Burr (née Edwards), was the daughter of a noted Calvinist theologian. He had an elder sister named Sarah.

Aaron’s father died in 1757, barely a year after his birth and his mother passed away in 1758. Initially the siblings lived with their maternal grandparents; but they too died within a year.

Thereafter, from 1758 to 1759, they were put under the care of noted physician William Shippen. In 1759, their maternal uncle Timothy Edwards came of age; he then assumed their guardianship.

As a child Aaron Burr was bright, charming, handsome, and witty. He was also intellectually gifted but at the same time unmanageably naughty. Even at this early age, he began to show a determination to succeed.

In 1769, at the age of 13, Burr entered the College of New Jersey to the sophomore class. Here, he became member of both the American Whig Society and Cliosophic Society. Concurrently, he also excelled academically.

In September 1775, Aaron Burr joined Colonel Benedict Arnold’s troops and became a member of his expedition to Quebec, involving a difficult trek of three hundred miles. During the long march, he had to withstand cold, hunger and fatigue; yet his enthusiasm and determination never waned, which attracted the colonel’s attention.

By now, General Richard Montgomery had taken Montreal. On reaching Quebec, Arnold sent Burr to Montreal to escort Montgomery back to Quebec. Impressed, Montgomery promoted him to the post of captain and also made him an aid-de-camp.

As the Battle of Quebec began on December 31, 1775, he showed great valor and courage. Although the war resulted in the defeat for the Americans, he was noticed by his superiors.

In early 1776, he was inducted as a staff of General Washington at Manhattan. However, he soon antagonized Washington and within two weeks, was transferred to General Israel Putnam’s troop.

While retreating with the troop from lower Manhattan to Harlem, Burr was able to save a full brigade from being captured by the British. However, Washington neglected to commend his action; which generally resulted in quick promotion.