Sir Henry Clinton served in North America for most of the War of Independence. He witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill and led the daring night time march around Patriot forces at the Battle of Brooklyn. When the British Secretary Lord Germaine recalled William Howe in 1777, Clinton became the supreme commander of British forces in North America. He repositioned the British Army from Philadelphia to New York City. During this withdrawal, Clinton exhibitied battlefield bravery during the Battle of Monmouth. However, this was to be the only major campaign in which he personally led forces.
In 1780, Clinton dispatched Lord Charles Cornwallis to the south to capture Charleston and liberate the southern colonies from Rebel hands. It was Clinton’s relationship with Cornwallis that would tarnish his reputation and lead to a public tit-for-tat series of essays blaming each other for the defeat at Yorktown.
Primary Sources
The most complete set of Henry Clinton papers is found at The University of Michigan’s William C. Clements Library. A finding aid is available to assist in navigating the large collection.
Memoirs
Clinton, Henry. The American Rebellion Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775-1782 with an Appendix of Original Documents. Edited by William D Willcox. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954.
Public Dispute with Lord Cornwallis
Clinton, Henry. Campaign in 1781: Clinton’s Observations on Cornwallis’ Answer. Philadelphia: John Campbell, 1783.
The Campaign in Virginia 1781. An Exact Reprint of Six Rare Pamplets with Very Numerous Important Unpublished Manuscript Notes. Vol. I. 2 vols. London: Benjamin Franklin Stevens, 1888.
The Campaign in Virginia 1781. An Exact Reprint of Six Rare Pamplets with Very Numerous Important Unpublished Manuscript Notes. Vol. 2. 2 vols. London: Benjamin Franklin Stevens, 1888.
Observations on Some Parts of the Answer of Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative. Cranbury, NJ: Scholar’s Bookshelf, 2005.
Secondary Sources
Willcox, William B. Portrait of a General: Sir Henry Clinton in the War of Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964.
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