Part 2 of my Hamilton fact-checking series. Hope you enjoy ;)
Stay Alive
🎵(Hamilton)Instead of me, he promotes Charles Lee, makes him second in command-
(Lee) I’m a general, wheeee! (Hamilton) Yeah, he’s not the choice I would’ve gone with:
(Hamilton, Lafayette and Laurens) He sh*ts the bed at the Battle of Monmouth🎵
The song describes Charles Lee’s errors at the Battle of Monmouth, but within the show it takes place after Eliza and Alexander’s wedding (1780) whereas in real life the Battle of Monmouth took place in 1778. This chronology error also applies to Ten Duel Commandments and Meet Me Inside as they also took place before the wedding in real life.
Ten Duel Commandments
There are actually 25 rules of Code Duello, this is just a reference to the song “Ten Crack Commandments”, though all the rules listed in this song are actual duelling commandments.
🎵Your last chance to negotiate, send in your seconds see if they can set the record straight:
(Burr) Alexander! (Hamilton) Aaron Burr, sir!🎵
Hamilton was the second of John Laurens in his duel against Charles Lee, but Aaron Burr was not Lee’s second, Evan Edwards was.
Meet Me Inside
🎵(Washington) Go home, Alexander-that’s an order from your commander🎵 Washington didn’t tell Hamilton to go home, Hamilton quit, though the show does accurately convey Hamilton’s frustration at not being put in command of a battalion despite telling Washington he wanted this. This was in fact the reason he quit as Washington’s aide-de-camp, then settling with Eliza near the headquarters of Washington’s army.
Dear Theodosia
🎵(Burr and Hamilton) You will come of age with our young nation🎵
Nitpicking, but Phillip Hamilton was born in January 1782, over a year before the Revolutionary War (officially) ended. Yorktown being portrayed as the battle that effectively won the Americans their full independence is still accurate, though.
The Laurens Interlude
*This song is only sung in the show, not on the album.
🎵“On Tuesday 27th, my son was killed in a gunfight against British troops retreating from South Carolina. The war was already over.”🎵
In a similar vein, this is not entirely true as John Laurens was killed 27th August 1782.
Non-Stop
🎵(Hamilton) My client needs a strong defence, you’re the solution
(Burr) Who’s your client? (Hamilton) The New US Constitution🎵 It’s unlikely Hamilton actually asked Burr to write the Federalist Papers defending the US Constitution.
🎵(Angelica) I am sailing off to London, I am accompanied by someone who always pays, I have found a wealthy husband who will keep me in comfort for all my days🎵 I know I said in the last article I wouldn’t point out errors I already had, but this one feels like it needs drawing attention to again-Angelica married her husband, John Church, in 1777, but Non-Stop is correct in that they only left for London in 1783.
*refer to last article to see sources.
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