416 ALEXANDER HAMILTON body of the continental army, lately employed in the siege of Boston, had now arrived at New York, which it was expected would be the next object of attack. The mind of the young artillery captain was not, however, wholly ab- sorbed in military matters; in the pay book of his company, which still exists, are notes which show that he was revolving in his thoughts the subject of currency, commerce, the collection of taxes, and other questions of political economy. In the campaign which followed, Hamilton bore an active part. It soon became necessary to abandon New York, and Washington retired to the upper part of the island on which that city stands. It was here that Hamilton, while employed in the con- struction of an earthwork, first attracted the attention of the commander-in-chief, who in- vited him to his quarters. Hamilton's artillery formed a part of the detachment of 1,600 men posted at Chatterton's hill, the attack upon which by the British is commonly known as the battle of White Plains. He shared in the retreat through New Jersey, and his guns helped to check the advance of Cornwallis, who with greatly superior force came upon the retreating troops as they were crossing the Raritan. He also took part in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, by all which hard service his com- pany was reduced to 25 men. The spirit and ability of the young captain of artillery had not escaped notice. He had received invita- tions from two major generals to take a place in their staff. These he declined ; but he ac- cepted a similar offer from Washington, and on March 1, 1777, was announced in orders as aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief with the rank of lieutenant colonel. What Wash- ington most wanted in his aides-de-camp was competent assistance in the multifarious corre- spondence which he was obliged to carry on with congress, the governors of the states, the officers on detached service, and in regard to the exchange of prisoners and other subjects with the British commander-in-chief. He re- quired somebody able to think for him, as well as to transcribe and to execute orders ; and so much did he rely on Hamilton's judgment as to employ him, young as he was, in the most delicate and confidential duties. After the bat- tles of Brandy wine and Germantown, in which Hamilton took an active part, he was despatch- ed on a confidential mission to Putnam and Gates, to hasten forward the reinforcements which those officers after the surrender of Bur- goyne's army had been directed to send to Washington. These orders they had been in no hurry to execute, and it required a good deal of firmness on Hamilton's part to accomplish the object of his mission. He spent the fol- lowing winter in the camp at Valley Forge. He was present at the battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778, an attack which, in common with Greene, Wayne, and Lafayette, he had strongly favored, notwithstanding the opinion vof Lee to the contrary. Of the challenge which his fellow aide-de-camp Laurens sent to Lee, growing out of the incidents of that day, Hamilton was the bearer, and he acted as sec- ond to Laurens in the duel which followed. When Admiral D'Estaing arrived at Sandy Hook, Hamilton was sent by Washington to confer with him, and to make the arrangement which resulted in the attack on Rhode Island. His courtesy and tact made a very favorable impression on the French admiral. When in the autumn of the next year D'Estaing reappeared on the southern coast, Hamilton was again sent to express to him the views and wishes of Wash- ington. He was at West Point at the time of the discovery of Arnold's treason, and strongly urged a compliance with Andre's last request to be shot. At the close of the year 1780 he married Eliza, the second daughter of Philip Schuyler, and by this alliance with a wealthy and influ- ential family established for himself a perma- nent hold upon the state of New York. Short- ly afterward he resigned his position as a mem- ber of Washington's staff. A rebuke from Washington which he thought unmerited was answered on the spot by a resignation, which he declined to withdraw, though Washington sent him an apology. But this separation did not interrupt their mutual confidence and es- teem. He subsequently obtained a position in the line of the army as commander of a New York battalion, and in that capacity was pres- ent at the siege of Yorktown, where he led in the attack and capture of one of the British outworks, Oct. 14, 1781. The rest of the au- tumn and the winter he spent with his father- in-law at Albany, where he began to study law. After a few months' study he obtained at the July term of the supreme court, 1782, a license to practise. A few days later he was elected by the legislature of New York a delegate to the continental congress, and took his seat in No- vember following. During the year that he sat in this body Hamilton bore an active part in the proceedings relating to the settlement with the officers of the army as to their half pay, the treaty of peace, and attempts to pro- vide means of meeting the public debt. He had become fully satisfied of the necessity of giving increased authority to congress, and be- fore his election had drafted a resolution which the New York legislature adopted, urging an amendment of the articles of confederation hav- ing that end in view. The city of New York having been evacuated by the British, he re- signed his seat in congress, removed thither, and commenced the practice of the law. An act had been passed by the New York legisla- ture just before, disqualifying from practice all attorneys and councillors who could not pro- duce satisfactory certificates of attachment to whig principles ; most or all the old city law- yers fell within this prohibition, which remain- ed in force for three or four years, and enabled Hamilton and other young advocates to enter immediately on a run of practice which other- wise they might not have obtained so speedily.
