Post by Catsmate on Jan 23, 2014 22:07:23 GMT
One for the USAians mainly but of interest to many I think and pregnant with possibilities for meddling in the past.
One of the mysteries of American history is the question of what exactly was Aaron Burr up to in 1806. Burr was a former vice-president and was one of the most fractious and unpredictable of the
"founding fathers." He'd been dismissed from George Washington's staff during the revolution, for for antagonising the general. In 1791, Burr made a lasting political enemy in Alexander
Hamilton when he defeated Hamilton's father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, for a seat in the US Senate. In 1800, he ran for the presidency with Thomas Jefferson and it was largely down to Hamilton's influence that Jefferson rather than Burr was chosen for the presidency.
In 1804, Burr failed in a bid for the governorship of New York and was then removed from the presidential ticket. He blamed Hamilton for both these setbacks. When he heard that Hamilton had made disparaging remarks about him in public, he challenged Hamilton to a duel.
Burr shot Hamilton to death in a duel on 11JUL1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey.
*Or did he? Perhaps someone meddles with the duel, and Burr dies, or both men die, or neither. Or Burr is promptly arrested.
Anyway Burr fled, with arrest warrants out for him. He arrives in Philadelphia, where he contacted his friend General James Wilkinson. Now the mystery begins in earnest. Wilkinson was an enigmatic figure, he was governor and military commander of a large part of the Louisiana Purchase, but he was also (unknown at the time) secretly in the pay of Spain. Despite this he seems to have the ambition of conquering Spanish Mexico, either for the USA, or (more probably)as an independent nation. Burr became his co-conspirator in his plans against Mexico, and the two men sent out
Colonel Zebulon Pike to spy out the most favorable route for the conquest of the Spanish provinces in North America.
There are also persistent rumours that the two men also conspired to forment a secessionist movement in the US western territories and create an empire of their own there.
For reasons that remain unknown, Wilkinson became uncertain about Burr, and betrayed his plans to President Jefferson.
* Unless a time traveller works with Wilkinson and Burr to form an independent state in the Louisiana territories.
Burr tried to escape to Spanish territory, but was arrested and
brought to trial in May of 1807, for treason. As the evidence could only demonstrate that Burr had
planned an illegal attack on Spanish territory he was acquitted.
He went to Europe, where he failed to win Napoleon's support for a plan to conquer Florida.
*Unless someone changes Napoleon's mind.......
He returned to the USA in 1812.
One of the mysteries of American history is the question of what exactly was Aaron Burr up to in 1806. Burr was a former vice-president and was one of the most fractious and unpredictable of the
"founding fathers." He'd been dismissed from George Washington's staff during the revolution, for for antagonising the general. In 1791, Burr made a lasting political enemy in Alexander
Hamilton when he defeated Hamilton's father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, for a seat in the US Senate. In 1800, he ran for the presidency with Thomas Jefferson and it was largely down to Hamilton's influence that Jefferson rather than Burr was chosen for the presidency.
In 1804, Burr failed in a bid for the governorship of New York and was then removed from the presidential ticket. He blamed Hamilton for both these setbacks. When he heard that Hamilton had made disparaging remarks about him in public, he challenged Hamilton to a duel.
Burr shot Hamilton to death in a duel on 11JUL1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey.
*Or did he? Perhaps someone meddles with the duel, and Burr dies, or both men die, or neither. Or Burr is promptly arrested.
Anyway Burr fled, with arrest warrants out for him. He arrives in Philadelphia, where he contacted his friend General James Wilkinson. Now the mystery begins in earnest. Wilkinson was an enigmatic figure, he was governor and military commander of a large part of the Louisiana Purchase, but he was also (unknown at the time) secretly in the pay of Spain. Despite this he seems to have the ambition of conquering Spanish Mexico, either for the USA, or (more probably)as an independent nation. Burr became his co-conspirator in his plans against Mexico, and the two men sent out
Colonel Zebulon Pike to spy out the most favorable route for the conquest of the Spanish provinces in North America.
There are also persistent rumours that the two men also conspired to forment a secessionist movement in the US western territories and create an empire of their own there.
For reasons that remain unknown, Wilkinson became uncertain about Burr, and betrayed his plans to President Jefferson.
* Unless a time traveller works with Wilkinson and Burr to form an independent state in the Louisiana territories.
Burr tried to escape to Spanish territory, but was arrested and
brought to trial in May of 1807, for treason. As the evidence could only demonstrate that Burr had
planned an illegal attack on Spanish territory he was acquitted.
He went to Europe, where he failed to win Napoleon's support for a plan to conquer Florida.
*Unless someone changes Napoleon's mind.......
He returned to the USA in 1812.
