The Oaks...the plantation home of one of South Carolina's wealthiest planters once stood near here.

It's here that Joseph Alston and his wife Theodosia Burr Alston anxiously await word of Aaron Burr's expedition into the Southwest.

When word finally comes, it's here they learn that Aaron Burr has been arrested for treason.

Here at The Oaks, 500 miles from Harman Blennerhassett's enchanted isle in the Ohio River, our story continues as we follow a path of intrigue and betrayal, a path littered with the shattered remnants of broken dreams... dreams of glory.

♪ ♪ ♪ To understand Joseph Alston's involvement with Aaron Burr's plans to conquer the Spanish-held lands in Mexico, it's necessary that we take a closer look at Joseph and his loving wife Theodosia.

Now Joseph's grandfather, also named Joseph, owned four plantations and was a very wealthy man.

He was an assemblyman from All Saints Parish and was also in the First Provincial Congress.

During the American Revolution, he was a staunch militant.

Although living in an area where loyalties to King George were very strong, he made no secret of the fact that his loyalties lay with the Patriot cause.

He backed up his strong convictions with hard cash and contributed a great deal of money to the American Revolution.

[footfalls on pavement] The elder Joseph lived until 1784, long enough to see the success of his efforts in the Patriot cause.

To his older son, Captain William Alston, he left Clifton Plantation, and his younger son, Thomas inherited Prospect Hill, but to his grandson Joseph, son of William, he left The Oaks, one of the most prosperous of all of his holdings.

Joseph is only five years old at this time and already he is one of the wealthiest people in South Carolina!

He is to receive revenues generated by the plantation until he's 24 years' old.

Then he is to assume full responsibility of the 1300 acres and a hundred slaves which make up The Oaks.

William Alston, or "King Billy," as he is frequently called, takes great care with his son's education.

He must envision a career in law and government, for all of his plans for Joseph are very carefully laid out to guide him in that direction.

Later Joseph writes, "From my father's plan of education for me, "I may properly be called a hotbed plant.

"Before 17, I finished my college education.

Before 20, I was admitted to the bar."

Joseph studied law in the offices of Edward Rutledge, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

We're not sure he practiced... because, there are no court records to attest to that fact.

He must have turned early to government, because he was elected to the Assembly at a very young age.

When we consider the character and the temperament of Joseph Alston, we must understand his background and the manner in which he was reared.

He was a member of one of the wealthiest families of South Carolina.

From his early years, he was groomed for greatness.

He never wants for anything, and he's protected and guarded by his parents.

From his birth, his life is methodically planned, and even the future is laid out for him in great detail.

So, it's not surprising that in later years, when he's left to make his own decisions, that he's easily influenced by a man as persuasive and charismatic as Aaron Burr.

During the same period Joseph was receiving his training, in South Carolina, another child in New York was receiving a thorough education, an education just as carefully planned, but an education even more remarkable for its time, because the recipient of the loving attention and instruction was a woman.

Aaron Burr, far ahead of his time, has been described as one of the first proponents of women's rights.

He believed in the total education of the person, regardless of sex, and he spared no effort or energy or expense in the education of his daughter, Theodosia.

She is receiving an education usually reserved only for men.

All the training necessary to bring out the highest qualities of womanhood are given to Theodosia.

Although Burr will play many roles during his stormy career and play them well, his greatest role is that of father.

His strongest qualities are passed to Theodosia.

His intellect, his strength, his courage, his wit, his sense of adventure, and human compassion all become hers.

Theodosia is intelligent, beautiful, and charming, and she learns quickly.

She returns her father's devotion, and a strong bond of love and respect is established between the two that will never fade.

Indeed, Theodosia later writes to her father, "I witness your extraordinary fortitude with new wonder "at every new misfortune.

"Often reflecting on this subject, "you appear to me so superior, "so elevated above all other men.

"I contemplate you with such strange a mixture "of humility, admiration, reverence, love, and pride, "that very little superstition would be necessary "to make me worship you as a superior being.

I had rather not live than not be the daughter of such a man."

During a trip to New York, Joseph meets Theodosia and falls in love with her.

It's through his letters to her, asking for her hand in marriage, that we have a glimpse of South Carolina culture in the 1790s.

"With regards to our manners," he writes, "if there is any state which has a claim "to superior refinement, it is certainly, South Carolina.

"Generally speaking, we are divided into two classes, "very rich and very poor, "which, if no advantage in a political view, "is undoubtedly favorable to a polished state of society.

"Our gentlemen, having large fortunes, have full leisure "for the attainment of polite literature.

"You therefore meet with few of them "who are not tolerably well-informed and completely well-bred."

It has been thought Burr encourages the romance because he sees in the rich Southern planter a source of funds for his many projects.

However, although he is constantly guiding Theodosia, it's very unlikely that he would meddle in this most important decision of her life.

After a great deal of deliberation, Theodosia consents to marry Joseph Alston.

This is very pleasing to Burr, but not to her many of her acquaintances.

At this time, Alston is described as short, stocky, dark-skinned, with long, heavy sideburns.

Many ladies thought he was not good material for a husband.

Indeed, Maria Nicholson, one of Theodosia's closest friends, writes, "Joseph is rich, but he is a great dasher, dissipated, ill-tempered, vain, and silly."

Nellie Custis Lewis, the granddaughter of Martha Washington, stated, "Mrs. Alston is a very sweet little woman, "very engaging and pretty, "but her husband is the most intolerable mortal "I have ever beheld.

"I think he is more calculated to break a woman's heart than any person I have ever seen."

Later, Margaret Blennerhassett will write to her husband, "I could never love one of my sex more than I do her.

How can she live with such a man as Alston?"

But Theodosia sees something in Joseph that other people don't, and their love only grows stronger, never weakening.

A son was born to them in 1802.

His name was Aaron Burr Alston.

He was the pride of the family and the joy of his namesake, Aaron Burr.

Burr called him "Gampy," the sound the boy made when trying to say "grandpa."

Theodosia was happy with her life in South Carolina, writing frequently to her father of her activities here and those of the child, but she also made an annual trip north.

This was not only for a social visit.

The climate of South Carolina was not very healthful for Mrs. Alston, and she had frequent bouts of illness and fever, and so, in going north to visit her father, she frequently sought medical treatment and also a respite from the South Carolina climate.

Joseph would remain at home, being concerned with his duties in government.

Early in his life, little Gampy also contracted the fevers, and so he accompanied her.

Meanwhile Joseph, encouraged by Aaron Burr, continued to rise in South Carolina politics.

So now, we have a picture of a loving husband and wife, their total devotion attested to by a letter which Theodosia writes her husband from New York while on a visit there in 1802.

"How does your election advance?

"I'm anxious to know something of it "Not from patriotism, however, "for it little concerns me which party succeeds.

"Where you are, there is my country.

"and in you are centered all my wishes.

"Were you a Brutus, I would be a Roman.

"Were you a Caesar, I should wish glory to Rome.

"that glory might be yours.

"As long as you love me, I am your wife and friend, contented and proud to be that."

On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr slays Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.

Some say that if Burr had not killed him, someone else surely would because of the man's deceitful nature and antagonistic manner, but be that as it may, it was Burr who was driven to fire that fatal shot, a shot that was just a moment in time, but it was long enough not only to kill Alexander Hamilton, but also the political career of one of America's ablest statesmen.

[windflaw noise] So when public outcry is raised against Burr, it is Joseph and Theodosia who offer staunch support.

When Burr, bitter and disillusioned, continues admirably to serve out his time as vice president, it is Theodosia's love and letters which sustain him.

When Burr conceives a plan, so bold that it staggers the imagination, of raising a force to conquer Mexico and make himself emperor, it's Joseph's contribution of $50,000 and Joseph's guarantee of Harman Blennerhassett's money that makes this magnificent dream possible, but there are more trials yet to come.

In 1807, Theodosia and Joseph learn that in the Mississippi Territory, Aaron Burr has been arrested for treason and is being brought back to Richmond, Virginia, for trial.

A squad of federal troops with Burr as their prisoner left the Mississippi Territory and headed north toward Richmond.

While passing through South Carolina, they stopped here in Chester, near a tavern which once stood at this site.

Realizing he was in the home state of his daughter and son-in-law, Burr leaped from his horse, jumped on this huge rock, and urged the citizens of Chester to take action and rescue him from the federal troops.

Now, in charge of the squad was Colonel Nicholas Perkins, a man of great physical stature, who was also Burr's arresting officer in Mississippi.

Before the citizens could react, Colonel Perkins went to the rock, bodily picked up Aaron Burr, carried him to his horse, and gently placed him in the saddle.

Another member of the squad grabbed the reigns of the horse and led Burr away immediately.

Another member of the company was Thomas Malone.

Malone knew of Burr's outstanding heroism during the American Revolution, and during the journey he had come to admire Burr's courage and daring.

...and so with tears in his eyes, he begged that a closed carriage be brought so Burr could continue the journey away from public scrutiny.

Our story began in Chester, and our journey, like Burr's, has covered many miles, but it isn't over yet.

[footfalls on pavement] Aaron Burr is brought to Richmond for trial, and Harman Blennerhassett and many of Burr's associates are also arrested for treason.

The trial begins on August 3, 1807, and many important Virginians are on the jury.

Chief Justice John Marshall will hold the trial.

The trial in itself is very interesting because once again Thomas Jefferson has an opportunity to embarrass his old enemies in rather dreadful circumstances.

Chief Justice Marshall had al ways been a staunch Federalist and opposed Jefferson on many of his policies.

If he finds Burr innocent, then he will incur the wrath of the entire Federalist Party, many of whom hate Burr because of the death of Hamilton.

If he finds Burr guilty, then he can be accused of supporting Jefferson.

During the trial, Colonel James Wilkinson, the man who had fabricated most of the charges against Burr, was forced to admit in court that he had lied concerning much of the evidence.

Now, here a very interesting fact occurs.

Colonel Wilkinson had written a letter to Thomas Jefferson in code.

Chief Justice Marshall wanted the letter submitted in court.

Thomas Jefferson refused, claiming executive privilege.

Justice Marshall subpoenaed Thomas Jefferson so that the letter would be produced.

Here was set a precedent, a precedent that was not used for over 160 years.

In 1972, that precedent, established at Aaron Burr's trial for treason, was used against President Richard Nixon, requiring him to produce the Watergate tapes.

After much deliberation, the jury declares Aaron Burr innocent of treason.

There simply isn't enough evidence to prove he ever entertained ideas of warlike conduct against the United States of America.

The jury verdict reads, "We of the jury say "that Aaron Burr is not proved to be guilty under the indictment by any evidence submitted to us."

Burr objects strongly to the wording because it leaves a question as to his innocence.

He would have preferred it to read "not guilty."

Justice Marshall refuses to change the wording because, by leaving it open-ended, he gets himself off the hook.

After the trial, Joseph and Theodosia return to South Carolina.

They spent a great deal of time here in Charleston at this townhouse they owned at 94 Church Street.

The American public was furious and believed Burr guilty.

Many threats were made against his life, so in 1808, he sailed for Europe.

The four years that he would be there were torture for Burr and Theodosia.

They wrote letters expressing love, and devotion, and their loneliness at being separated from each other.

At one time, Theodosia planned to join her father in Europe, but ill health prevented, so she remained here.

At the same time, Joseph Alston repaid Harman Blennerhassett the $12,500 which the wealthy Irishman had advanced toward Burr's venture.

Burr's letters to Theodosia are filled with his expressions of love for the child.

He is counting the hours until he can see him again Burr returns to New York in June of 1812, so anxious to see his grandson and Theodosia, but before he can do so, two letters arrive from South Carolina.

The first is from Joseph.

"Little Gamp is dead.

"One desperate blow has destroyed us.

"That boy on whom all rested, "he who was to have redeemed all your glory, is dead.

"We saw him dead, yet we are alive.

My own hand surrendered him to the grave."

The second letter is from Theodosia.

"There is no more joy for me.

"The world is blank...

I have lost my boy.

"My child is gone forever.

Whichever way I turn, the same anguish assails me."

Little Gampy at 10 years of age had succumbed to the fevers which had plagued him from early childhood.

He was buried in the Alston family cemetery at The Oaks.

[waves crashing] [waves crashing] Theodosia's extremely upset following the death of her son.

She becomes melancholy and is constantly ill. Aaron Burr suggests she come to New York and spend some time with him.

At the time when Joseph Alston is assuming his duties as governor of South Carolina, Theodosia leaves to join her father.

Joseph Alston accompanies her to the docks in Georgetown and bids a loving farewell to his wife as she boards the schooner the "Patriot."

It's a very fast ship and is supposed to make the trip in five to six days.

Joseph Alston stands and watches as the "Patriot" sails slowly out of the bay, and he remains watching until the masts of the ship bearing his beloved Theodosia fade away from view into the horizon.

After two weeks, Joseph writes to Burr that he is concerned about Theodosia's welfare.

He hasn't heard from her.

Burr, too is concerned, and he haunts the docks of New York hourly waiting for word of the ship's arrival, but word never comes.

The "Patriot" is lost at sea.

Theodosia Burr Alston, the loving wife of Joseph Alston and the devoted daughter of Aaron Burr, is never seen again.

We began a journey in 1798 on the Ohio River.

We were accompanied by three men, men whose dreams and ambitions may seem far-fetched today, but dreams, then, are like that.

It's only after the fact that, whether the goal has been accomplished or not, we can realize how strong the vision was that was contemplated, but without bold visions, where would we be today?

Who would we be if men like Robert Mills, John Rutledge, William Moultrie, and Joseph Alston had not attempted to follow their dreams?

Perhaps the poet Robert Browning said it best, after all.

"Man's reach must always exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"

Harman Blennerhassett was never tried for treason.

He and Burr's other associates were released after the trial.

He moved to Natchez, Mississippi, where he bought a huge cotton plantation and operated there for many years.

After the failure of cotton, he took what money he had and simply went wandering until, in 1825, he returned to England.

He died there in 1831 after a stroke.

Margaret Blennerhassett returned to New York in 1840, where she began legal proceedings to try to receive remuneration fo r the damage done to her home by the Wood County Militia on Blennerhassett Island.

Before a decision could be made, she suddenly died in 1842.

She never got over the loss of her island paradise.

After the death of Theodosia, Joseph lost all interest in living.

Aaron Burr tried to concern him with national politics, but he just didn't have the heart for it.

The loss of his beloved Theodosia had absolutely destroyed him, and for two years he lived almost in complete solitude.

He writes to Aaron Burr, "I visited the grave of my boy.

"Where now was that boy, "the mother I cherished with so much pride?

I felt like the very spirit of desolation."

He died, some say of a broken heart, in 1816 at the age of 37.

He was buried beside his son at The Oaks.

And as for Aaron Burr... "Creeping slowly in to claim their own, "the tides eternally rise and fall.

"Somewhere beyond the horizon, "a ripple dents the calm, glassy surface of the ocean, "growing, changing, yet never changing.

"Rising, it moves toward land, "and falls into the open arms of a sandy beach.

"From the lofty heights a pelican watches, "waits for a slim, silver figure to rise "from the depths of the sun-dappled water.

"Then he falls toward the surface.

The sea holds many secrets."

It's said that for years a lonely figure haunts the docks of New York City, a gaunt shell of a man who himself has risen to great heights, and fallen.

Scanning the horizon, his moist ey es detect an object.

Is it a sparkling white sail urged forward by friendly winds?

Is it the curved prow of a ship's bow?

Or is it simply the sun dancing on the surface, rising and falling?

Huddled against the chill air, he moves slowly up and down the docks, watching, waiting, for a ship that never appears.

♪ ♪ Program captioned by: CompuScripts Captioning, Inc. 803.988.8438 ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪