Love & War (Alex & Eliza #2)(37)

Alex immediately set off for Albany to retrieve Eliza and spirit her away to their new home in New York City, which for a variety of reasons held promise as a future capital of the country, and thus was the only place worthy of a family as ambitious as the Hamiltons.

But although Cornwallis had surrendered and British forces on the continent were decimated, King George’s army remained firmly in control of Manhattan and its surrounding islands and, against all predictions, refused to surrender or retreat. The redcoats were too numerous to chase out without great loss of life—not only to the attacking forces, but also to the nearly ten thousand Continental soldiers being held in British prison ships off the coast of Red Hook, Long Island.

The American brass feared that a preemptive move on Manhattan might spur the British to sink the ships, or burn them. Only later would they learn that such a fate would have been a small mercy for those thousands of prisoners of war, who died of illness, exposure, and starvation.

Right up to the end, the British held on to the notion that New York State might even cede Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island to the crown, which the empire could use as a way station between the Canadian colonies and its numerous territories in the West Indies. This was a pipe dream, of course—neither General Washington nor Governor Clinton would tolerate any British holdings between the Straits of Florida and the St. Lawrence River. Still, the transfer of authority took nearly two years to complete to the satisfaction of both parties.

The Hamiltons would have to remain in Albany for a little while longer. Their reunion at the Pastures was as joyful as their parting had been filled with sorrow and recrimination.

Alex galloped up the hill, so eager to see his beloved that he practically flew off the horse upon arriving, and Eliza felt her heart burst with relief and joy to see her brave lad home at last.

There were many tears shed on both sides that fine day, and Alex vowed he would never again leave her side. Eliza, as happy as she was, allowed him his promises, even as she understood that if they were to have a long and happy marriage, she would have to understand and forgive the promises that were broken even under the best intentions.

Alex told the story of the battle once and once only, after which he never spoke of it in Eliza’s presence again. He completed his law studies at a breakneck pace and passed the bar exam in July 1782. New York State normally required new lawyers to serve a three-year clerkship with a judge before they could appear in court, but this requirement was waived for veterans returning from the war, who were deemed to have given more than enough time to their country. He did, however, have to sign an oath of loyalty, renouncing any ties to the king of Great Britain and pledging allegiance not just to the United States of America, but to the “free and independent state” of New York.

With the city of New York still in British hands, Alex hung out his shingle for the time being in Albany, where he quickly found himself in great demand: partly because his connections to the Schuyler clan served as an entrée to wealthy society; partly because his status as a war hero and confidant to General Washington drew curiosity seekers to his door by the dozens. His services were also needed for a reason Alex and others found unfair and distasteful: The state of New York, under Governor Clinton’s direction, had passed a law barring all loyalists (citizens who had remained loyal to the British crown instead of declaring for the American rebels) from practicing in New York courts.

Loyalists made up a full third of the population, and though many living near the coast chose to return to the mother country, or emigrate to Canada, most of those farther inland identified as Americans, regardless of where their government was located. Alex disagreed with Clinton’s law, as well as other provisions penalizing Colonial Americans who had sided with Britain in the war. They had lost, and that was punishment enough; anything else was punitive, and the country would need them if it was to succeed.

Alex was one of five from New York elected to the Congress of the Confederation, a position he accepted with great trepidation. Certainly, a part of his hesitation was based on the fact that Congress met—for the moment at least—in Philadelphia, which meant he would again have to separate from Eliza (breaking the promise he had made). But the main reason was his belief that the Congress of the Confederation was a useless, bureaucratic organization, having no authority except over itself and the Continental army (and even that was only nominal, since the army hadn’t been paid in years—soldiers were starting to mutiny, and some even marched on the Congress’s headquarters).

Any laws this Congress passed had no jurisdiction over the thirteen newly minted states, each of which was its own ultimate authority. It had no license to collect revenues by tax or duty or any other measure, which is to say, it could pass such laws but couldn’t compel their enforcement. Alex’s contempt for Congress was more than offset by the despair he felt for his new country. If a strong central government wasn’t established, he felt, uniting the thirteen states into a single nation, then the so-called confederation was bound to crumble as the various states began competing against one another for resources and wealth rather than working for the common good. After six months, he resigned his seat in Congress and returned once again to Albany.

For her part, Eliza was kept busy as well. Her performance as her mother’s surrogate during Mrs. Schuyler’s lying-in had so impressed the matriarch that she came to rely on Eliza more and more, particularly where Kitty was concerned. Additionally, Eliza was indispensable to Angelica when her time came, and was there to welcome her nephew, Philip Church, into the world. The family progeny weren’t the only children she served. The plight of Anne Carrington—Mrs. Bleecker’s hapless charge—had so moved her that she devoted much of her energy to finding homes for other Albany children left orphaned by the war or other hardships. It seemed the least she could do until she and Alex were finally able to start a family of their own.