Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton's Duel Aaron Burr felt that he had many good reasons to hate Alexander Hamilton. Burr situated blame on Hamilton for many of the misfortunes of his life, when in fact, he alone was to at fault. The demise of his reputation began in 1776. “Burr was severely reprimanded by Washington when he was caught in the act of casually reading the Commander-in-chief’s private correspondence. After this incident, Washington mistrusted Burr and maintained a cold, formal distance from him.” (Chrastina 1) Such a breach in confidence that he committed was his blun