Hamilton’s Letters To John Laurens

Hamilton’s Letters To John Laurens – John Laurs (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as part of the U.S. Army. .

In 1779, Laurs obtained approval from the Continental Congress for his plan to acquire a group of 3,000 slaves and promise them freedom in return for war. The plan was defeated by political opponents in South Carolina. Laurs was killed in the Battle of the Combahee River in August 1782.

Hamilton’s Letters To John Laurens

John Laurs was born in Charleston, South Carolina on October 28, 1754, to Hry Laurs and Eleanor Ball Laurs, both of whom had successful families as rice farmers. By the 1750s, Hry Laurs and his business partner George Austin were rich as owners of one of the largest slave trading houses in North America.

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John was the oldest of five children who survived infancy. John and his two brothers, Hry Jr. and James, were taught at home, but when their mother died, their father sent them to Gland to study. His two sisters, Martha and Mary, remained with their grandfather in Charleston.

In October 1771, Laurs’ father moved to London with his sons, and Laurs studied in Europe from the age of 16 to 22. For two years starting in June 1772, he and his sister went to school in Geva, Switzerland, where they lived with him. a family frid.

When he was young, Laurs had shown great interest in science and medicine, but when he returned to London in August 1774, he agreed to his father’s wishes to study law. In November 1774, Laurs began his legal studies at the Middle Temple. Laurs’ father returned to Charleston, leaving Laurs as guardian to his brothers, all of whom were enrolled in British schools.

Laurs remained determined to join the Cotintal Army and fight for his country, rather than finish law school in England and raise a family there. He first left for Charleston in December 1776, leaving his pregnant wife in London with her family.

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That summer he accompanied his father from Charleston to Philadelphia, where his father would serve in the Continental Congress. Hry Laurs, finding himself unable to prevent his son from joining the Cotintal Army, used his influence to obtain an honorary position for his 23-year-old son.

I mean to delay the actual Appointmt of my fourth Assistant de Camp for a long time; but if you will do me the honor of being a member of my Family, you will make me very happy, with your Company and help in that line as an Additional Help and I will be glad to receive you in that position whenever it is judged. to you. [7]

Laurs became close friends with two of his fellow aides-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette. He quickly became known for his reckless bravery when he first saw combat on September 11, 1777, at the Battle of Brandywine during the Philadelphia campaign. Lafayette noted, “It was not his fault that he was not killed or wounded [at Brandywine,] he did everything necessary to get one or the other.”

Washington’s army surprised the British north of Philadelphia. Once upon a time, the Americans were decorated with a large stone house where emy lived. After several failed attempts to capture the building, Laurs and a French volunteer, the chevalier Duplessis-Mauduit, came up with their bold plan. They gathered grass to start a fire and placed it at the door of the house. According to another story of the leader of what Laurs did that day, “He ran to the door of Chew’s House, which he forced a part, and fighting with his sword with one hand, with the other he used wood to work on the fire, and the most amazing thing, he left from under the terrible fire of the house, with a small wound.” Laurs was hit by a musket ball through the middle of his right shoulder, and fashioned a sling for his arm from his uniform belt.[6]

Alexander Hamilton Papers: Speeches And Writings File, 1778 1804; 1778, Dec. 24 ,

Two days after the Battle of Germantown, on October 6, 1777, he was given his rank as one of General Washington’s aides-de-camp, and was promoted to the rank of major-general.

From November 2 to December 11, 1777, Washington and several aides, including Laurs, were stationed at the Eml House, north of Philadelphia in Camp Hill, which served as Washington’s headquarters through the Battle of White Marsh.

After spending the rest of the winter of 1777-1778 encamped at Valley Forge, Laurs marched to New Jersey with the rest of the Continental Army in June 1778, to face the British at the Battle of Monmouth.

Near the beginning of the battle, Laurs had his horse shot from under him when he had received Baron von Steub.

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On December 23, 1778, Laurs engaged in a duel with General Charles Lee outside of Philadelphia, after Laurs began taunting Lee about Washington’s character. Lee was wounded in the side by Laurs’ first shot and the affair was over in seconds, before Alexander Hamilton and Evan Edwards, Laurs or Lee could fire a second shot.

As the British became more active in the South, Laurs proposed the idea of ​​arming the slaves and giving them freedom in return for their labor. He had written, “We Americans in the Southern Colonies, cannot contend with the good grace of Liberty, until we have given up our slaves.” Laurs was separated from other leaders in Revolutionary-era South Carolina by his belief that blacks and whites shared common ground and could aspire to freedom in a Republican society.

In early 1778, Laurs ordered his father, who was the President of the Continental Congress, to use the 40 slaves he stood to inherit as part of the team. Hry Laurs granted this request, but his reluctance led to the suspension of the project.

Congress approved the idea of ​​a slave regiment in March 1779, and St Laurs south to recruit a regiment of 3,000 black soldiers; however, the plan was opposed, and Laurs did not succeed. Having won election to the South Carolina House of Representatives, Laurs introduced his plan for a black regiment in 1779, again in 1780, and a third time in 1782, meeting strong opposition each time. Governor John Rutledge and General Christopher Gadsd were among the opponents.

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In 1779, when the British threatened Charleston, Governor Rutledge proposed to provide the city with conditions for Carolina to remain neutral in the war. Laurs strongly opposed this idea and fought with Continental troops to drive out the British.

On May 3, 1779, Colonel William Moultrie’s forces, outnumbered two to one, faced 2,400 British regulars under General Augustine Prévost, who had crossed the Savannah River.

At a point about two miles east of the Coosawhatchie River, Moultrie had left 100 m to guard the river he was crossing and give a warning when the British arrived.

As the enemy approached, Moultrie was about to use an adjutant to pull these troops back to the main force that Col. John Laurs had volunteered to lead them back. Moultrie trusted the officer so much that he walked 250 m to help close the gap. In direct disobedience to orders, Laurs crossed the river and formed m in line of battle. He failed to take the high ground and his m suffered greatly from the well-placed emy moto. Laurs himself was wounded, and his second in command retreated to the main force at Tullifinny, where Moultrie was forced to retreat towards Charleston.[10]

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Because of Laurs’ connection, his works could not escape notice; for example, in a letter of May 5 to the governor of Virginia, South Carolina general Thomas Bee added the following note: “Col. John Laurs received a small wound in the arm in a skirmish with the advance party of the emy yesterday, & his horse had been shot again – he is in a good way – pray let his father know this.” “

Laurs was taken prisoner by the British in May 1780, after the fall of Charleston. As a prisoner of war, he was sent to Philadelphia, where he was released on the condition that he would not leave Pennsylvania.

In Philadelphia, Laurs was able to visit his father, who would soon take a ship to the Netherlands as an American ambassador, seeking loans. During the journey to his destination, Henry Laurs’ ship was captured by the British, resulting in the elder Laurs being imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Determined to return to South Carolina, and in anticipation of his release and exchange of prisoners in November 1780, Laurs wrote to George Washington and asked for leave to resign his post as aide-de-camp:

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My dear Geral. I have been exalted by my united Majesty and by the patronage with which you have been pleased to honor me, nothing but the serious reach of the affairs of the south and the prospects of my country can encourage me to ask far and wide.