Colonel David Henley
Encyclopedia
David Henley 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. 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
. 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 thither. 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 happened.
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.
In 1793, Colonel Henley was appointed by President Washington to represent 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. 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. He died in Washington, D.C.
, in 1823, while a clerk in the War Department.
. Both Henley Street and the Henley Street Bridge
(or Henley Bridge) in Downtown Knoxville are named after him. A tablet was placed by the state of Tennessee at the location of his office in 1947.
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
officer during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, who served as George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's intelligence officer and Prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
commandant. He later served as the Agent for the United States Department of War
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
for the Southwest Territory
Southwest Territory
The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States as the State of Tennessee.The Southwest Territory was...
(later Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
) in the 1790s.
Henley was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth Cheever Henley. 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
William Heath
William Heath was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War....
, and briefly as an adjutant general under General Joseph Spencer
Joseph Spencer
Joseph Spencer was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Connecticut. During the Revolutionary War, he served both as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a major general in the Continental Army....
. On January 1, 1777, he was made Colonel of the Massachusetts Regiment. He was in command at Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, when the troops that had been captured at Saratoga were brought thither. 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
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
challenged him to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, which was to take place in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. He accepted the challenge but the duel never happened.
General Washington selected him in November 1778 to be his spymaster
Spymaster
A spymaster is a ring leader of a spy ring, run by a secret service.-Historical spymasters:*Dai Li *Francis Walsingham *James Jesus Angleton *Joseph Peters...
, and charged him with compiling information to give him a snapshot of British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
capabilities. He largely succeeded in that task. Henley retired from the Army the following year.
In 1793, Colonel Henley was appointed by President Washington to represent the Agent of the Department of War for the Southwest Territory, in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. In this capacity, he was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, as well as quartermaster and paymaster for locally-stationed troops and militia. 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
Gay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
and Church Avenue in Downtown Knoxville in 1796. He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1823, while a clerk in the War Department.
Namesakes and honors
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 StreetGay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
. Both Henley Street and the Henley Street Bridge
Henley Street Bridge
The Henley Street Bridge, or Henley Bridge, is a vehicle bridge that crosses the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee. Completed in 1931, the bridge is one of four vehicle bridges connecting Downtown Knoxville with South Knoxville, the other three being the Gay Street Bridge, the Buck Karnes...
(or Henley Bridge) in Downtown Knoxville are named after him. A tablet was placed by the state of Tennessee at the location of his office in 1947.