"Knight of the Bedchamber"
Sorry in advance if anyone else has done this. So I was curious about that quote from Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton, and knowing how it has come under scrutiny for lack of sources, I was curious about this passage on page 283: "Angelica dropped a garter that was swept gallantly off the floor by Hamilton. Angelica, who had a sly wit, teased him that he wasn't a Knight of the Garter. Angelica's sarcastic sister, Peggy, then remarked "He would be a Knight of the Bedchamber if he could." I took a look at Chernow's footnote, which is Noemie Emery's Alexander Hamilton: An Intimate Portrait, on page 126. I bought the book out of curiosity, wanting to know more information on Hamilton's life, and well, it looks like Chernow wasn't the only one with a lack of cited sources.
She puts nothing. No source. I dug a little deeper, and found this article.
This one actually has a source linked! This rumor comes from a letter written by Harrison Gray Otis, and the scene actually goes a little differently:
"Dined at Breck’s with Mrs [Angelica Schuyler] Church, Miss [Cornelia] Schuyler, Genl. [Alexander] Hamilton, Champlin &c &c. Mrs. [Angelica] C. the mirror of affectation, but as she affects to be extremely affable and free from ceremony, this foible is rather amusing than offensive. Miss Schuyler a young wild flirt from Albany, full of glee & apparently desirous of matrimony. After Dinner Mrs. C. dropped her shoe bow, Miss S– picked it up and put it in Hamiltons buttonhole saying “there brother I have made you a Knight.” But of what order” (says Madam C) “he can’t be a Knight of the garter in this country.” “True sister” replied Miss S– “but he would be if you would let him!”
That's actually a funny little scene- we don't know Hamilton's reaction to their playing, but now we have an actual source!
