as Washington's personal secretary and confidential aide. Hamilton's military fervor continuedin his position next to Washington. At the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778), Hamilton again provedhis bravery and leadership. He warned the retreating General Charles Lee that a troop of British cavalrywould soon be in a position to counterattack and was authorized to give the order. Hamilton rallied thefleeing men, who turned upon the British and swept them with a withering fire. At the court martial ofLee that followed, Hamilton testified against the General. He declared that he "seemed to be under ahurry of mind," and that, while his men retreated, he sat on his horse, "doing nothing that I saw." Lee, inturn, accused Hamilton of being hotheaded and in "a sort of frenzy of valor." Hamilton, however, remained ambitious for military glory. He became impatient in his position ofdependence and used a slight reprimand from Washington as an excuse for leaving his staff position inFebruary of 1781. He secured a field command through Washington and won laurels at Yorktown (Sept.- Oct. 1781), where he led the American column in a final assault in the British works. As the need for the military diminished, Hamilton acquired a domestic life. On Dec. 14, 1780, he married Elizabeth, the daughter of General Philip Schuyler. The Schuylers were one of the most distinguished families in New York. Hamilton and Elizabeth eventually had eight children. Here, Elizabeth is pictured to the left, with her father and mother to the right. At twenty-five, Hamilton began his popular political efforts from which his greatest fame arises. In letters dated from 1779 to 1780 he correctly diagnosed the ills of the new ...
