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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04764.62 |
| From Archive Folder | Burgoyne-Kingston collection: papers concerning Convention Army after Saratoga |
| Title | Colonel David Henley to [possibly] George Washington regarding his court martial |
| Date | February 1778 |
| Author | Henley, David (1749-1823) |
| Recipient | Washington, George |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written by Colonel Henley as the former commandant of the Prospect Hill barracks near Cambridge, Massachusetts, which housed the captured British Convention Army. Recipient is inferred from the title "your Excellency" used toward the end of the letter. Henley was about to be sent before a court martial for allegations of murder and abusing British prisoners during his tenure at Prospect Hill. Says he left his business behind in Virginia to follow him into war out of purely selfless reasons. Says he does not now "have an Opportunity to blead" because he was placed in a command he did not want and that General William Heath, his immediate superior, should have taken. Says he took the office out of a duty to follow orders. Says he is being court martialed "for acting with Spirit when insulted at the head of some Troops, at the insolent Demand of Genl. Burgoyne, I am punished with a C Martial of Five weeks." Says Burgoyne has acted with "illiberal abuse" in his prosecution of the court martial. Claims Burgoyne wants to open the court martial with a speech, close his evidence with another, and have the right to remark on evidence Henley presents. Says court has granted his requests. Applies for advice on how to proceed. Says he sends the letter in resentment against his enemies and concludes that he wishes he could seal his request with "my Blood." Henley was eventually acquitted at the court martial. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War Revolutionary War General Military History Battle Battle of Saratoga Convention Army Prisoner of War Military Law |
| People | Washington, George (1732-1799) Henley, David (1749-1823) |
| Place written | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Law; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |