Aaron Burr was born on February 6, 1756 in Newark, New Jersey. When he first arrived, a little sister named Sally had already preceded him. Their father was Reverend Aaron Burr, and their mother was Ester Edwards Burr, daughter of the famous Jonathan Edwards, a high honor at the Calvin school. Aaron Burr Sr. was also the second president of Princeton. He represented all that was austere and hopeless in Puritanism. But Aaron, Jr. inherited only one tenet out of all the rigorous dogma into which he had been born he believed in predestination.
During the Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr took part in General Benedict Arnold’s expedition into Canada in 1775, an arduous trek of over 500 miles in winter. Upon arriving before the Battle of Quebec, Burr was sent up the St. Lawrence River to make contact with General Richard Montgomery who had taken Montreal, and escort him to Quebec. Montgomery promoted Burr to Captain and made him an Aide de camp. Although Montgomery was killed in the attack, Burr distinguished himself with brave actions against the British. His courage made him a national hero and earned him a place on Washington's staff in Manhattan, but he quit after two weeks because he wanted to return to the field. Never hesitant to voice his opinions, Burr may have set Washington against him. However, rumors that Washington then distrusted Burr have never been substantiated. General Israel Putnam took Burr under his wing, and by his vigilance in the retreat from lower Manhattan to Harlem, Burr saved an entire brigade from capture.
Alexander Hamilton was an officer of his group. In a stark departure from common practice, Washington failed to commend Burr's actions in the next day's General Orders and that is the fastest way to obtain a promotion in rank. Although Burr was already a nationally-known hero, he never received a commendation. According to Burr's stepbrother Matthew Ogden, Burr was infuriated by the incident,