One day in the spring of 1805, Aaron Burr’s boat docked at Blennerhassett Island. Burr was searching for a second act after his duel with Alexander Hamilton ruined his political career. Historians still argue whether his next plans were to invade Mexico, try to rally the western states together to secede, or just settle the 40,000-acre lease he’d been granted in the Texas Territory. Burr tended to tailor his pitch according to his audience.
No matter his course of action, Burr would need a base of operations somewhere on the Ohio River, a strategic midpoint between the big cities of New England and the western territories. He also needed money. And he figured Harman Blennerhassett could help with both.
We don’t know which scenario Burr laid out on Blennerhassett Island, but he promised Harman would profit from participating. The proposition could not have come at a better time. Behind Blennerhassett Island’s opulent appearances, things were falling apart.
Harman was a generous man but lacked common sense when it came to money. He overpaid for everything from his acreage on the island to the mussel shells used to make plaster for the mansion. He loaned money to people who never paid it back and was frequently duped into bad business deals. He planted a hemp crop only to watch the market fail. He invested in Dudley Woodbridge Jr. & Co.—which ran general merchandise stores across southeastern Ohio—only to see the firm’s finances take a hit during an economic downturn. The Blennerhassetts were quickly burning through their savings and, knowing the situation was untenable, started talking about selling their home and moving south to get into the cotton business. Burr and his plot must have seemed like a godsend.
Although not expecting such a high-profile guest, the Blennerhassetts entertained Burr until well after dark. He refused the couple’s offer of a bed, insisting on sleeping in his houseboat, so the Blennerhassetts walked him back to the water by candlelight. When they reached the bank, Burr slipped and fell. “That’s an ill omen,” the former vice president said to no one in particular.
He left after breakfast the following morning. Soon Burr and Harman were exchanging letters. “I should be honored in being associated with you, in any contemplated enterprise you would permit me to participate in,” Harman wrote to Burr. “I am disposed, in the confidential spirit of this letter, to offer you and my friends’ and my own services in any contemplated measures in which you may embark.”
Although he told Burr he couldn’t provide money, Harman volunteered his credit—which was helpful since Burr was already racking up his own debts. Harman contracted a local boatbuilder to build fifteen river boats for the expedition. He also began stockpiling provisions, including flour, cornmeal, whiskey, and a hundred barrels of salted pork.