Alexander Hamilton Research Paper

Before the constitutional convention, Alexander Hamilton was a student at King’s College, now known as Columbia University. After news came of the battle of Lexington and Concord, Alexander Hamilton started preparing for war. Hamilton and his old friend Robert Troup, and other King’s College men, formed a volunteer musket drill unit and trained a group of college boys to shoot, with help from his veteran professors. Alexander Hamilton and his group of volunteers had their first night of action on August 23, 1775, helping capture twenty-one cannon at a British stockade on Manhattan Island in New York. Shortly following these events, in March of 1776, Hamilton was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army, and was commander of an artillery company of around 100 men. Hamilton and his company took part in many skirmishes in the autumn in 1776 in New York, and also participated as part of the attacking force in the Battle for Princeton in January, 1777.

After accepting the offer Hamilton was promoted to lieutenant-colonel at age twenty-one. Hamilton, having been on Washington’s staff for four years drafting letters for him addressed to governors, congressmen, and others, as well as coordinating supplies and munition movements earned the nickname “Little Lion” because of his intelligence and lean stature. Washington grew very fond of Hamilton. Although he suffered with the troops at the Battle of Philadelphia and was at Germantown when the British attacked the Continental Army, Hamilton did not participate in military engagements. Hamilton also stayed with Washington through the terrible winter in 1777-1778 at Valley Forge. After some other less important events, Hamilton fell in love and married Elizabeth Schuyler in December, 14,