Retracing a Ride to a Fatal Duel on July 11, 1804
“I’ve always sort of been a Hamilton guy,” Mr. Stewart said. “He was the immigrant who came up from nothing. I found that inspiring.”
Nov 10, 2011
The New York Times
July 10, 2011
By JAMES BARRON
The question was, have you ever taken a murderer across the Hudson?
“Not that I know of,” said Capt. Tim Byam, at the wheel of a New York Waterway ferry bound for Weehawken, N.J.
At that, the man in the blue blazer standing behind Captain Byam piped up: “He was a killer, but was he a murderer? The other guy had a gun, too.”
It was not a non sequitur. The “he” was Aaron Burr, the vice president under Thomas Jefferson. The “other guy” was Alexander Hamilton, the former secretary of the treasury.
And the man in the blazer the other morning was David O. Stewart, a lawyer-turned-historian who was retracing Burr’s trip to Weehawken, a trip Mr. Stewart said Burr never should have taken. It led to the infamous duel that left Hamilton dying — and Burr’s reputation in tatters.
How different it was 207 years ago Monday, when Burr and Hamilton faced off. Burr went to Weehawken in a smallish rowboat with several oarsmen paddling, not Captain Byam’s 96-foot-long ferry with engines grinding out 1,100 horsepower. Burr’s boat took its time — maybe more than an hour, Mr. Stewart said. Captain Byam made the trip in less than 10 minutes.
Burr could have been splashed in the open boat, or broken a sweat in the humid air. Not Mr. Stewart, standing in the captain’s cabin with an air-conditioner set to 64 degrees.
And then there was the weather. “It was a bright sunny day,” Mr. Stewart said. This day was foggy, and getting worse. Captain Byam turned on the windshield wipers.
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Nov 10, 2011
The New York Times
July 10, 2011
By JAMES BARRON
The question was, have you ever taken a murderer across the Hudson?
“Not that I know of,” said Capt. Tim Byam, at the wheel of a New York Waterway ferry bound for Weehawken, N.J.
At that, the man in the blue blazer standing behind Captain Byam piped up: “He was a killer, but was he a murderer? The other guy had a gun, too.”
It was not a non sequitur. The “he” was Aaron Burr, the vice president under Thomas Jefferson. The “other guy” was Alexander Hamilton, the former secretary of the treasury.
And the man in the blazer the other morning was David O. Stewart, a lawyer-turned-historian who was retracing Burr’s trip to Weehawken, a trip Mr. Stewart said Burr never should have taken. It led to the infamous duel that left Hamilton dying — and Burr’s reputation in tatters.
How different it was 207 years ago Monday, when Burr and Hamilton faced off. Burr went to Weehawken in a smallish rowboat with several oarsmen paddling, not Captain Byam’s 96-foot-long ferry with engines grinding out 1,100 horsepower. Burr’s boat took its time — maybe more than an hour, Mr. Stewart said. Captain Byam made the trip in less than 10 minutes.
Burr could have been splashed in the open boat, or broken a sweat in the humid air. Not Mr. Stewart, standing in the captain’s cabin with an air-conditioner set to 64 degrees.
And then there was the weather. “It was a bright sunny day,” Mr. Stewart said. This day was foggy, and getting worse. Captain Byam turned on the windshield wipers.
Read More