David Henley

This article is about the American soldier. For the British film producer, see David Henley (producer).

David Henley
Born	February 5, 1749 Charlestown, Massachusetts
Died	January 1, 1823 Washington, D.C.
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1776–1779, 1793–1823
Rank	File:US-O6 insignia.svg 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.

Life and career

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 brigade-major under General William Heath, and briefly as an adjutant general under General Joseph Spencer. On January 1, 1777, he was made lieutenant colonel of the Fifth 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. He died in Washington, D.C., in 1823, while a clerk in the War Department.

Legacy

Henley-Putnam University, a highly specialized university devoted to intelligence, security, and counterterrorism founded in 2001, is named for Henley and Israel Putnam.

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

External links

• Letter from Henley to George Washington, dated November 19, 1778