See also
Bragg, Braxton; Davis, Jefferson; Hood, John Bell; John-
ston, Joseph E.; Longstreet, James
Bibliography
Evans, E. Raymond. Cleburne’s Defense of Ringgold
Gap.Signal Mountain, TN: Mountain Press, 1998;
Farley, M. Foster. “The Battle of Franklin.” Military
Heritage1, no. 5 (2000): 60–67; Fessler, Paul R. “The
Case of the Missing Promotion: Historians and the
Military Career of Major General Patrick Cleburne,
C.S.A.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly53, no. 1
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The Kentucky Campaigns, Corinth, and Stone’s
River.Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000;
Hull, Mark N. “General Cleburne and the Emancipa-
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Joslyn, Mauriel. A Meteor Shining Brightly: Essays
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Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1990; Wood-
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Chickamauga.Abilene, TX: McWhinney Foundation
Press, 1999.CLINTON, HENRY
Clinton, Henry
(April 16, 1730–December 23, 1795)
English General
A
talented yet unpredictable officer, Clin-
ton served longer as English com-
mander in chief than any leader of the
American Revolution. His unfortunate combi-
nation of personal shyness and aggressive
presentation grated upon superiors and sub-
ordinates alike, ruining what might have been
an outstanding military reputation.
Henry Clinton was born in Newfoundland,
Canada, on April 16, 1730, the son of Adm.
George Clinton, then governor of that
province. He accompanied his father to New
York when the latter was made governor, and
he joined the militia. In 1751, Clinton ven-
tured to England, where his personal connec-
tions to his cousin, the Duke of Newcastle, re-
sulted in a lieutenant’s commission with the
elite Coldstream Guards. He rose by good
conduct to captain and then lieutenant
colonel, and he was committed to combat
during later stages of the Seven Years’ War
(1755–1763) in Germany. As aide to Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick, Clinton was con-
spicuously engaged and wounded at Johan-
nisberg on August 30, 1764. He won consider-
able applause for bravery under fire and ad-
vanced to full colonel of the 12th Regiment of
Foot in 1766. By 1772, Clinton had risen to
major general and fell back upon the political
patronage of his cousin to gain election to
Parliament. However, that year he also en-
dured a personal tragedy when his young wife
died suddenly, plunging him into profound de-
pression. It took nearly three years before
Clinton could resume active military service,
and by that time the American Revolution had
commenced in earnest. Again, through the in-
tercession of the Duke of Newcastle, Clinton
secured a high-ranking appointment. He ar-
rived in Boston in May 1775, accompanied by
Gens. William Howeand John Burgoyne,
and reported for duty under Gen. Thomas
Gage.
No one questioned Clinton’s military skill
as an officer or bravery under fire, but as a
high-ranking subordinate he was beset by a