David Henley: Difference between revisions
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'''David Henley''' (February 5/12, 1748/9 – January 1, 1823) was a [[Continental Army]] officer during the [[American Revolutionary War]], who served as [[George Washington]]'s intelligence officer and [[Prisoner of war]] commandant. He later served as the Agent for the [[United States Department of War]] for the [[Southwest Territory]] (later [[Tennessee]]) in the 1790s. |
'''David Henley''' (February 5/12, 1748/9 – January 1, 1823) was a [[Continental Army]] officer during the [[American Revolutionary War]], who served as [[George Washington]]'s intelligence officer and [[Prisoner of war]] commandant. He later served as the Agent for the [[United States Department of War]] for the [[Southwest Territory]] (later [[Tennessee]]) in the 1790s. |
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Henley was born in [[Charlestown, Massachusetts]], the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth Cheever Henley.<ref name=rothrock>Mary Rothrock, ''The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1972), pp. 426-8.</ref> On January 8, 1776, he set fire to Charlestown which was occupied by the British. In that same year, he served a major under General [[William Heath]], and briefly as an adjutant general under General [[Joseph Spencer]].<ref name=rothrock /> On January 1, 1777, he was made |
Henley was born in [[Charlestown, Massachusetts]], the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth Cheever Henley.<ref name=rothrock>Mary Rothrock, ''The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1972), pp. 426-8.</ref> On January 8, 1776, he set fire to Charlestown which was occupied by the British. In that same year, he served a major under General [[William Heath]], and briefly as an adjutant general under General [[Joseph Spencer]].<ref name=rothrock /> On January 1, 1777, he was made colonel of the Massachusetts Regiment. He was in command at [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], when the troops that had been captured at Saratoga were brought there. Henley stabbed an insolent but unarmed British prisoner. Court-martial proceedings were held at Cambridge from January 20, 1778, to February 25, 1778, but he was acquitted. British [[John Burgoyne|General Burgoyne]] challenged him to a [[duel]], which was to take place in [[Bermuda]]. He accepted the challenge, but the duel never took place. |
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General Washington selected him in November 1778 to be his [[spymaster]], and charged him with compiling information to give him a snapshot of [[British Empire|British]] capabilities. He largely succeeded in that task. Henley retired from the Army the following year.<ref name=rothrock /> |
General Washington selected him in November 1778 to be his [[spymaster]], and charged him with compiling information to give him a snapshot of [[British Empire|British]] capabilities. He largely succeeded in that task. Henley retired from the Army the following year.<ref name=rothrock /> |
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In 1793, Colonel Henley was appointed by President Washington |
In 1793, Colonel Henley was appointed by President Washington as the Agent of the Department of War for the Southwest Territory, in [[Knoxville, Tennessee]]. In this capacity, he was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, as well as quartermaster and paymaster for locally stationed troops and militia.<ref name=rothrock /> He was known to be a hothead, but was also a strong law-and-order man. Tennessee's Constitutional Convention was held in his office at the corner of what is now [[Gay Street (Knoxville)|Gay Street]] and Church Avenue in Downtown Knoxville in 1796.<ref name=rothrock /> |
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He died in [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1823, while a clerk in the War Department.<ref name=rothrock /> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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[[Category:People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution]] |
[[Category:People of Massachusetts in the American Revolution]] |
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[[Category:People from Charlestown, Boston]] |
[[Category:People from Charlestown, Boston]] |
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[[Category:People who were court-martialed]] |
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[[Category:United States Indian agents]] |
[[Category:United States Indian agents]] |
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[[Category:American spies during the American Revolution]] |
[[Category:American spies during the American Revolution]] |
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Revision as of 08:38, 9 December 2017
David Henley | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 5, 1749 Charlestown, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 1, 1823 Washington, D.C. |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1776–1779, 1793–1823 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Battles / wars | American Revolutionary War |
David Henley (February 5/12, 1748/9 – January 1, 1823) was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, who served as George Washington's intelligence officer and Prisoner of war commandant. He later served as the Agent for the United States Department of War for the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee) in the 1790s.
Henley was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth Cheever Henley.[1] On January 8, 1776, he set fire to Charlestown which was occupied by the British. In that same year, he served a major under General William Heath, and briefly as an adjutant general under General Joseph Spencer.[1] On January 1, 1777, he was made colonel of the Massachusetts Regiment. He was in command at Cambridge, Massachusetts, when the troops that had been captured at Saratoga were brought there. Henley stabbed an insolent but unarmed British prisoner. Court-martial proceedings were held at Cambridge from January 20, 1778, to February 25, 1778, but he was acquitted. British General Burgoyne challenged him to a duel, which was to take place in Bermuda. He accepted the challenge, but the duel never took place.
General Washington selected him in November 1778 to be his spymaster, and charged him with compiling information to give him a snapshot of British capabilities. He largely succeeded in that task. Henley retired from the Army the following year.[1]
In 1793, Colonel Henley was appointed by President Washington as the Agent of the Department of War for the Southwest Territory, in Knoxville, Tennessee. In this capacity, he was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, as well as quartermaster and paymaster for locally stationed troops and militia.[1] He was known to be a hothead, but was also a strong law-and-order man. Tennessee's Constitutional Convention was held in his office at the corner of what is now Gay Street and Church Avenue in Downtown Knoxville in 1796.[1]
He died in Washington, D.C., in 1823, while a clerk in the War Department.[1]
Legacy
In 1994, the Knoxville Federal Courthouse was proposed the site of his office. However it was later constructed at the northwest corner of Main Street and Gay Street. Both Henley Street and the Henley Street Bridge (or Henley Bridge) in Downtown Knoxville are named after him.[1] A tablet was placed by the state of Tennessee at the location of his office in 1947.
Henley-Putnam University, a highly specialized university devoted to intelligence, security, and counterterrorism founded in 2001, is named for Henley and Israel Putnam.[2]
See also
- Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War
- Intelligence operations in the American Revolutionary War
References
- Rose, Alexander. Washington's Spies. The story of America's first spy ring. Bantam, 2006.
- Henley, David. The proceedings of a general court-martial held at Cambridge, on Tuesday the twentieth of January, and continued by several adjournments to Wednesday the 25th of February, 1778, upon the trial of Colonel David Henley. Published in 1778. Printed by J. Gill (Boston).
- Neely, Jack. Knoxville’s Secret History. Scruffy City Publishing (Knoxville), 1995.
- Tennessee State Library and Archives: David Henley Papers