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Rensslaer said:
...“So I am the first person in whom you have confided?”

“Yes, General.”

Hamilton thought for a long moment. “Very well,” he said. “Captain, please allow me to consider this, and I will be in contact with you. Will you please advise me as to where you are staying?”

looks like Hamilton intends to cut himself into the deal! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: and, thereby, acquire Colorado! :D
 
Yes, very fortunate for Hamilton that no one else is aware of the information Pike carries. Knowing Alex - he'll use it to better his own position at all costs. And a very nice rendition of the famous duel, as well as a plausable reason why it did not, in fact, kill Hamilton.
 
Your writing is truly amazing, Rensslaer! I felt that I was really reading an alternate history novel! :eek:

You should try getting one of these stories published, you should! Especially this one, which follows the alternate history structure far more closely than your other great AAR, with its single POD and all.
 
Having used most of the afternoon browsing around and reading AARs, and sicne I saw that you had two AARs here Rensslaer I decided to read through this Coloradian one first, seeing as that was only two pages so I would be able to read through it, but I have been reading some in your Prussian AAR as well, but am still in a process of reading more there. But from what I have read both AARs are great and you are a very good and talented writer :)

Now as for the happening of the AAR you are doing very well showing the tension and the duel between Hamilton and Burr, very cool. It is always nice to learn something new. Also you have set the stage for a large set of tension, quarrels and perhaps also armed conflicts ahead it would seem, so this will be one interesting read. I will be following this, as well as progressing through your Prussian one as well.

Keep up the good work, and keep those updates coming :D
 
Praise God!

Good news on the job front... i.e. I have one!

The details are over in my Prussian AAR, for anyone who might be interested... Job Offer

Renss
 
Well, congratulations, Rensslaer! God be praised. :)
 
I liked your explanation why the duel didn't end in anyone's death. Hamilton being incapacitated, Burr not wishing to be found at the scene... It works for me. :)

Nice introduction also to the rivalry between Hamilton and Burr, as well as a bit of a historical introduction. If you could help a slightly lost non-native out here, 'Federalist' and 'Republican' seem to be monikers for different ideologies. I'm guessing it's basically strong central government vs. strong state rights. But which one is which? In other words: what's a Federalist position, and what a Republican?

I'll keep an open mind to what interest Hamilton is having in the Louisiana plot, but I fear Ghostwriter is right on the mark...

Finally, congratulations on finding a new job. As long as it means you'll still get to grace these Boards with your presence. :)
 
Somehow I missed the news on the job front over on the Prussian AAR - good news indeed! And this is a most excellent offering as well sir. The duel was brilliant.
 
I apologize for not responding just yet to some of your comments... as you may have recognized, I'm leaving some of this rather indistinct. The next update may either clarify or muddy things some more. But I shall withhold comment until then... :D

Stuyvesant said:
I liked your explanation why the duel didn't end in anyone's death. Hamilton being incapacitated, Burr not wishing to be found at the scene... It works for me. :)
In the real-life event, Burr was advised by his second to run, even though he wished to check on Hamilton. By my understanding of dueling, if one party were incapacitated, then the duel would end in any case.

Stuyvesant said:
Nice introduction also to the rivalry between Hamilton and Burr, as well as a bit of a historical introduction. If you could help a slightly lost non-native out here, 'Federalist' and 'Republican' seem to be monikers for different ideologies. I'm guessing it's basically strong central government vs. strong state rights. But which one is which? In other words: what's a Federalist position, and what a Republican?
I'm glad you asked! This is one of those things about US history that I find quite fascinating.

The Federalists and Republicans from back then (1780-1820 or so) don't translate well into modern parties. In my opinion, each major party today (Republicans and Democrats) shares about half of the platforms of each of these older parties. I will say (Dem) or (Rep) to draw analogies to modern parties. I'm sure some people will disagree with my generalizations of modern parties, but I'll stand by my explanations! :D

Federalists were believers in a strong national government (Dem), but also were very pro-business (Rep) (Federalists wanted a strong economic base for the new country, and Hamilton personally built America's financial foundations from the jumble that existed before). Federalists were generally anti-slavery, and so most opposed American expansion beyond the coastal states where shipping was important (Hamilton favored expansion for geopolitical reasons).

Republicans back then were very much for state's rights (Rep) and wanted the states to have priority over the federal (national) government. Republicans favored farming interests over banking and shipping and manufacturing interests. Because Republicans (back then) tended to defend slavery (part of the farming interests), they were excited about expanding south and west (by 1862, though, it was a new set of Republicans who ended slavery).

There's more, but it would start complicating things horribly!

Rensslaer
 
Thanks for the explanation. It's one thing I like about AARs written by people who know the period they're writing about: there's a good chance to get a quick history lesson here and there. :)

Having reread the Hamilton-Burke clashes during Burke's bids to become president and governor, respectively, your explanation helped me a lot to understand the enormity of Hamilton's decision to stand against Burke. I can see how Burke would feel betrayed: after all, they shared the same ideals, but still Hamilton sided with Jefferson, an ideological opponent? Amazing, that must have been some bombshell in real life.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain this stuff to me.
 
Thank you for your kind words, Stuyvesant!

Actually, I missed one important part...

The Federalists in general, and Hamilton in particular, were rather fond of the British system of government, and saw Great Britain as a natural ally, wishing that we weren't so often in conflict.

The Republicans (also known as the Democrat-Republicans, which makes no sense today!) tended to see France as a natural ally, and they liked it even better when the French overthrew the monarchy and began rule by "the people" (even though it wasn't really rule by the people).

And, for everyone else's benefit, I wanted to clarify that Burr was not the sitting vice president at the time of the plot. He was VP at the time of the duel, but was dropped in 1804 in favor of someone more loyal and less controversial. I may have inadvertantly caused confusion on this point by not being careful as I wrote... but hopefully did not. :rolleyes:

Rensslaer
 
Mr. Capiatlist said:
Now that we have American politics out of the way, may we please have an update?
Capitalists are always soo impatient! The whole, "time is money" thing, I'm sure. :D

Well, at least I have your interest over time! ;)

Very well...
 
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TJeff.jpg
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President Thomas Jefferson (left), and Secretary of State James Madison (right)

“Mr. President,” Hamilton said. “I believe this plot by General Wilkinson and Aaron Burr poses a mortal danger to this Union. I ask that you empower me, as a General in the Army of the United States, to chase them down and end this plot.”

Thomas Jefferson, a long-faced man with his reddish-grey hair tied into a ponytail, just blinked, his expression otherwise not changing.

Secretary of State James Madison, a short, birdlike man, was perched on the edge of his chair near by. He listened with intensity, and watched skeptically with beady eyes.

Jefferson finally spoke. “I do not doubt that the character of either of these men would lead them into such a scheme.” He looked at the floor. “But our response must be more complicated than what you propose.”

“I have proven my devotion to this country in previous service,” Hamilton protested. “I do not understand why you would deny me this opportunity to serve.” Clearly irked, Hamilton charged, “Is your reluctance due to our personal differences?”

“No, no…” Jefferson denied. “Of course not.” He nodded, then looked carefully to Madison. “You must allow us some time to discuss this. Would you step into the drawing room, and we shall call for you.”

“Of course.” Hamilton stood, and a servant opened the door to lead him from the President’s office

“What is he up to?” asked Madison, once Hamilton had gone.

Hamilton and Madison had once believed they shared a common ideal for the future of their country. They had even cooperated closely in writing the Federalist Papers – the logical-rhetorical advocacy pieces which had convinced the leaders and populations of several distrustful or intransigent states to accept the current United States Constitution, rather than rejecting it as too constrictive of states’ rights. But, over time, they realized that they had somewhat different purposes toward the same ideal. Hamilton, Madison felt, was far too enamored with the idea of a strong national government. He and others of like mind had built up a political coalition known as the Federalist Party. Madison had gravitated into the republican camp, led by Thomas Jefferson, which increasingly found itself at complete odds with everything the Federalists desired.

“Perhaps he wants an opportunity to hunt down Burr and kill him,” Madison suggested.

Pondering for a moment, Jefferson shook his head. “That man has no room in his mind for vengeance. All he has is ambition.” He shook his head again, in confusion and frustration this time. “He may be a part of the plot. A bold part he’s playing, if so.”

Madison nodded. “Do we have the power to stop him, if he intends to raise an army?”

“A private one?” Jefferson asked, knowing the answer. “Probably not. It could mean civil war if we took up arms against him.”

“We cannot condone his recruiting either, though.”

“We will raise an army,” Jefferson said. “But it must be under an officer we can trust. And Hamilton cannot know of it.”

“Do we dare to turn Hamilton away unanswered?”

“No. We can give him some limited funds, so he believes we are supporting him. But we cannot have a Federal connection to the money. If that came to light, once our soldiers arrest him, it would be difficult to explain away.” He contemplated further. “Besides, I am not certain that Albert would back us up, if he had any awareness of the deal.” Jefferson referred to Albert Gallatin, his Treasury Secretary, a committed Republican but one who in Jefferson’s opinion held insufficient skepticism of Hamilton.

Jefferson saw the plan clearly now. “Let us assist Hamilton privately, allow him to go on his little journey, then once he has declared himself, the Army can take all three of these men into custody.”
 
Cunning Jefferson... If Hamilton is truly loyal, he might be able to bring down Burr and Wilkinson. But if he's not loyal, Jefferson is giving him just enough rope to hang himself with.

I don't know anything about the historic Jefferson, but I have to admire this version: Some subtle manipulation, coupled with the big risk he's taking... Yessir, I like that a lot. Preferably in fictional characters, rather than in real life, where there are actual consequences to said risk-taking... But hey! That's exactly what this is! :p

Seriously though, I like the way this is unfolding. I'm basically left guessing on all fronts: what do Burr and Wilkinson really want and how will they go about it? What are Hamilton's plans? How much of a risk is Jefferson taking here? It should be entertaining to find out all about that, in due time.
 
And who, I wonder, will that officer that Jefferson can trust be?

Incidentally this AAR just tipped my hand leading to me just buying a book on Hamilton. Seems an interesting guy. Though visiting Philadephia today also brought him to mind. Well, all these people really.