Cipher/Code of Dishonor; Aaron Burr, an American Enigma

Chapter Eleven:  Burr’s Counselor, Theodosia

Aaron Burr was well known to use cipher with his daughter, Theodosia Alston.  In fact he asked his wife once in a letter how their daughter’s studies in cipher as an eight year old were progressing.  The Burrs were grooming their daughter to be a spy at that early age.  Cipher takes two major forms, substitution or transposition.  The early cipher between friend Robert Troup and Burr used female names, often maiden names, for their husbands or boyfriends by substitution.  Later correspondences with daughter Theodosia became more complicated, so much so that Theodosia once complained to Burr to send the new code key again because she could not decipher his meaning.  These codes used writings of known philosophers, poets, and lyrics like Shakespeare’s.  Often Burr would tell about a switch in the code for the next letter by saying remember to read, or bring with you, or refer to such and such novel or writings of some individual known to them both. Then he might quote a passage in the novel often in French where one with the book could reference a page number, line and word placement perhaps to represent a number significant to the reader such as number of troops, date, money to be sent, or where to find another code within another source.  It is highly possible that many of Burr’s supposed “paramours” were merely covers for fellow plotters.

The letters themselves read alone seem meaningless, confusing and outright gibberish. They are meant to be so for after all they are coded messages.  Anyone familiar with the people mentioned would be able to pick out tiny errors and discrepancies that alert the person meant to read the letter that a different meaning than the one seemingly written is meant to be inferred.  After the duel Burr was on the lam.  He really didn’t have time to stop and resume an affair with Celeste with two indictments for his arrest in New York and New Jersey breathing down his neck!  Taken in the context of the time frame of the letters and the sequence of letters themselves taken as a whole the picture becomes more understandable and the persons referenced become more obvious.

One such notable person, Celeste, probably represented James Williamson or British minister to the United States, Anthony Merry for in a letter from Philadelphia, August 2^nd after the duel Burr writes “Nothing can be done with Celeste. There is a strange indecision and timidity which I cannot fathom.  The thing, however, is abandoned; and, for a few months, I believe, all such things.”  It is not a woman he is concerned about being timid but the British Government being indecisive about his scheme.  The original affair with Celeste in 1802 had reached ennui, thus the failed sale of his Richmond estate in that year.  The resumption of which in 1804 might well be a cover for the affair of state simultaneously with Anthony Merry.  Both Merry and Celeste resided in Philadelphia, a convenient conjunction of circumstance.  “If any male friend of yours should be dying of ennui; recommend to him to engage in a duel and a courtship (not plural, only one, here England, not two, England and a woman) at the same time-prob. est.”  His letters before this refer to the on again, off again relationship with Celeste during this year leading up to the duel often in a sexual context.  Celeste is known as an early Chinese Empire no doubt known to Burr and Theodosia and could here represent the Crown of England.  The representation of Anthony Merry is a celestial match made in HEAVEN.