Henry Davenport Northrop, 1836-1909
Duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
It is common knowledge that Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the United States and helped make America a world power. Lesser known is that three years later former Vice President Aaron Burr attempted to seize the territory and form his own country.
Born into an influential New Jersey family in 1756, Burr graduated from Princeton University at age sixteen and served bravely during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he married and became a powerful New York politician.
In 1800, Burr ran on the Jeffersonian ticket with the intention of becoming vice president, but he and Jefferson tied in the Electoral College, and Congress had to choose the winner. Seeing an opportunity, Burr betrayed Jefferson and tried to win the presidency for himself. He failed and still became Jefferson’s vice president, but the incident turned Burr and Jefferson against one another.
Burr also clashed with fellow New York politician and Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. Their feud came to a head in 1804 when Burr killed Hamilton in an infamous duel. Burr was vice president at the time but that did not stop New York and New Jersey from indicting him for murder. Burr was never arrested, but the affair gave Jefferson a convenient excuse to drop him from the ticket in the next election.
Burr’s reputation was ruined and his political career destroyed, but he was a ruthlessly ambitious man who was still in his prime and popular with many people. He quickly became embroiled in what is known as the Burr Conspiracy.
Much of the plot’s details remain a mystery; what we do know is that Burr planned to recruit a force of armed men and seize control of the Louisiana territory, or perhaps Texas, and create his own country.
Relatively few Americans lived in the territory outside of New Orleans, and much of the Creole population was still angry at coming under American rule. Burr apparently believed that many Louisianians would welcome the chance to break free from the U.S. and support his conspiracy.
Burr had an important ally in Gen. James Wilkinson, the commanding general of the U.S. Army. Wilkinson was an unscrupulous and conniving man who was also working as a Spanish spy at the time.
Burr traveled throughout the west and to New Orleans to scout, recruit men, and gather more allies. At some point he also purchased a large tract of land in northeast Louisiana near modern-day Bastrop, perhaps to serve as a base of operations.
In 1806, rumors of Burr’s plan swirled throughout the west, and he was hauled into court several times on charges of treason. He was acquitted each time, but the whole conspiracy soon fell apart.
When Burr sent a coded message to Wilkinson announcing that he was on his way to begin the conquest, the general got cold feet. Realizing the plan had little chance of success, Wilkinson decided to save his own skin and informed Jefferson that he had uncovered the plot.
The news that Burr and his band of armed men were moving down the Mississippi River created panic in New Orleans because no one knew for sure what he intended to do. One rumor claimed that he had many Creole supporters and intended to seize all of the banks’ money.
Wilkinson began arresting suspects and strengthened the city’s defenses, but whispers of his own involvement with Burr only added to the growing hysteria. Was the general actually trying to protect New Orleans or was he going to join the conspirators?
Burr and his men were detained when they reached Natchez, and Burr eventually was charged with treason in February 1807. The former vice-president was the first person ever tried for treason under the Constitution, and Chief Justice John Marshall presided over the sensational trial.
Although the evidence pointed to Burr’s guilt, the Constitution required the prosecution to produce two witnesses to convict him of treason. Since Wilkinson was the only person who agreed to testify, the jury had no choice but to acquit Burr.
Now a ruined man, Burr moved to Europe. Wilkinson’s reputation was also destroyed and few people ever trusted him again. A few years later, Burr returned home to New York, where he was still wanted for Hamilton’s murder. There was no real interest in pursuing the case, however, and Burr was never tried. He lived out the rest of his life as a rather obscure New York lawyer.
The Burr Conspiracy is little more than a footnote in Louisiana history, but if Burr had been successful, we might now be living in the Kingdom of Burr.
Dr. Terry L. Jones is professor emeritus of history at the University of Louisiana at Monroe who has received numerous awards for his books and outdoor articles.
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