Hamiltonian America.Chapter 11.BookWorm.page 5,6,7.....

"Among the many alterations which Lycurgus made the first and most important was the establishment of the senate which having a power equal to the king's in matters of consequence did ....foster and qualify the imperious and fiery genius of monarchy by constantly restraining it within the bounds of equity and moderation.For the state before had no firm state to stand upon leaning sometimes towards an absolute monarchy and sometimes towards a pure democracy.But this establishment of the Senate was to the commonwealth what the ballast is to a ship and preserved the whole in a just equilibrium."

"I know Lycurgus like Hammurabi a famous lawgiver from Asia among the ancient civilization and made considerable progress in legal freedom "

"Exactly.He did not evaluate the Lycurgus alone being promiscuous but also pay attention to salacious stories and peculiar sexual escapades and libidinous customs as reported by Plutarch."

"Sample please "

"For instance had unveiled a couple of them in the playbook a story in the ancient Rome where two naked noble men whipped young married women in a Lupercalia celebration.That the dirty women were particularly fond of such whippings as they imagined it aids conception.It was particularly funny when he says "how the young married women were glad of this kind of whipping as they imagined it helped conception". Lycurgus also endorsed permission of a husband by a bonafide man to impregnate his wife and also encouraged infidelity within rank and file of married women.Strange practices like allowing selected virgins and young men to go naked and dance naked Infront of married women in order to produce vigorous offspring at certain ceremonies were endorsed in the state tradition.

Intrigued by this story,Ron Chernow making a plaintful analysis later noted Hamilton went on to become the foremost constitutional scholar, unmatched secretary general in American history as well as the "protagonist of the first great sex scandal in American political history"

"To err is human..."

"Remember it was the victory at Saratoga that caused the french to recognize the American independence.Inspired by the victory were forced to enter into treaties both military and commercial with the virgin nation.This event was a time outspoken John Adams spoke and debunked great Britain as" the Mistress of the ocean".

The British thereafter replaced general Howe with Sir Henry Clinton as the commander of their forces in response to immediate entry of the French into the war."

"Was there any improvement?"

"Barely none and sometimes dangerous.I think Lee was better fighter.He even suggested ways for the British to win the war with just twenty five frigates and ten ships"

"It could slip into the fiend's control "

"It never did.He says"All that the English need to have done was to blockade our ports with twenty five frigates and ten ships of the line."He later told a french visitor they never did."But thank God they did nothing of short".

"Was Henry Clinton not worse than Howe?I said he had a better strategy."

"There was a plan to kidnap Clinton broached perfectly to Washington by Henry Lee.Clinton was quartered in Broadway house in New York with large garden overlooking Hudson and there every afternoon he napped in his little pavilion.Lee wanted to deploy men in clandestine mode sneak in at silent tide and kidnap him as he dozed.I think Hamilton was against the plan and rejected the plan when he says to kidnap Clinton"it would be our misfortune since the British government could not find another commander so incompetent to send in this place"

Do you know what Clinton did thereafter?"

"He must have heard of the plan"

"Probably.Just take a look at this fact.The moment he was awared mid June that a french fleet had sailed to america dread came upon him and sensed the possibility of partnering with Continental army to entrap his troops at Philadelphia,then he fled from the city and evacuated troops into the New York ...."

"Lazy soldier a less risky and more defensible position "

"You think so?Wait a minute.To Indicate that the troops would journey across new Jersey at tardier pace"

"Shylock.What's their numbers again?"

"A huge fleet.An intimidating nine thousand men with logistics and provisions that filled over fifteen hundred wagons with over twelve miles of stretched baggage train.They moved slowly down to New Jersey.With thinly stretched dangerous supply lines and the timbering forces, could be exposed to the firing lines of continental army .

With comfortable gain of disciplined army under Steuben's conspicuous leadership stewards, Washington decided to exploit the loopholes for convincing victory and showcased gains they had made at Valley Forge.

Don't forget he had just survived the Conway Cabal and now Charles Lee another general an experienced officer also challenged his fitness of authority."

"Was it not the same Lee captured in a British Tavern in late 1776?"

"You re right.He was released after fifteen months in captivity.A polyglot, mastery of four languages, eccentric bachelor two of his fingers were cut in the Italian battle often traveled with pack of dogs.He was nicknamed Boiling water and a divorcee once married to an Indian woman "

"It was the mohawks they appelated him"

"Exactly but was temperamental too like Washington.A rude and indiscreet person told Boudinot he had no confidence whatsoever in the military talent of Washington."General Washington was not fit to command a sergeant's guard"he says arrogantly to Boudinot.He ridiculed Steuben's stewards and Hamilton's effort at introducing professional order into the army.On June 24,1778,as Hamilton took minutes, Washington convened meeting on the possibility of pouncing on the retreating British army.Lee rebuked Washington's plan that the patriots could be trounced by the Europeans and sound petty to court trouble as french forces alight.Hamilton had labelled him a driveller but was gobsmacked when officers supported Lee's views and scoffed Hamilton.Washington later agreed to operate by consensus but decided to overturn the vote and strike the enemy.Lee resisted the plot but Washington called his bluff and decided to replace him with Lafayette.Only then did he back down and give consent to the plan and take command of the combat forces.

Now Hamilton often in motion as a liason officer to Lafayette reconnoitering fiendish lines and for days rode through murky nights to convey officers intelligence .Not until the night of June 27 did the British encamp in Freehold NJ near the courthouse not far away from the Lee's soldiers lying apart just six miles away with Washington three miles further away. Hamilton drafted Washington's orders to Lee who instructed him to attack in early morning and should not back down unless powerful reason to the contrary was given.The idea would be that from Washington position would then bring up the rear with the main contingent of the continental army.In the Washington's orders that Lee should battle the enemy slow down to invoke delay and afford time for the rest of the troops to join.