Sir Henry Clinton | |
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| Born | (1771-03-09)9 March 1771 |
| Died | 11 December 1829(1829-12-11) (aged 58) |
| Allegiance |  Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Battles / wars | French Revolutionary Wars Peninsular War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
Lieutenant-GeneralSir Henry ClintonGCB GCH (9 March 1771 – 11 December 1829) was aBritish Army officer who served in theFrench Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He came from a family of soldiers. His elder brother wasWilliam Henry Clinton and his father wasGeneral Sir Henry Clinton theBritish Commander-in-Chief in North America during theAmerican Revolutionary War, and his grandfather wasAdmiral of the FleetGeorge Clinton (1686–1761).
Clinton first went to sea as a midshipman in 1786 inHMS Salisbury with CaptainErasmus Gower who was flag captain to CommodoreJohn Elliot. Elliot was commander-in-chief and governor of Newfoundland from 1786 to 1788. Clinton suffered from severe seasickness and left the navy at the completion of three years with Captain Gower in Newfoundland.[1]
He received his officer's commission in 1787. He went on to serve in the Flanders campaign as an aide-de-camp to thePrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, starting in 1793. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1795. Captured by the French, he was a prisoner in 1796–1797. During the 1799 campaign in northern Italy, he was a liaison officer withAlexander Suvarov's Russian army. He went to India as adjutant general from 1802 to 1805.
At theBattle of Austerlitz in 1805, Clinton was the British military attaché to the Russian army. He commanded the garrison of Syracuse in Sicily in 1806–1807.
He became a member of parliament forBoroughbridge in 1808, holding the seat for the next 10 years.[2]
During the campaign andBattle of Corunna in 1808–1809, he served as SirJohn Moore's adjutant general and was promoted to major-general in 1810.
During the remainder of thePeninsular War he commanded an infantry division under theMarquess of Wellington (later the Duke of Wellington). He was first appointed to command the6th Division on 9 February 1812. During theBattle of Salamanca, his division played a key part by defeating French GeneralBertrand Clausel's counterattack. He then led his division in theSiege of Burgos campaign. From 26 January to 25 June 1813, Clinton was absent andEdward Pakenham took over the 6th Division. For his conduct at theVitoria campaign, Clinton was made aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).
He was absent again from 22 July to October, when he again assumed command of the 6th Division. He was given the local rank of lieutenant general in 1813. He took part in the subsequent victories at the battles ofthe Nivelle,the Nive,Orthez andToulouse. At the end of the Peninsular War he was made a lieutenant general and inspector-general of infantry, and was awarded theArmy Gold Cross with oneclasp.
In 1815 during theBattle of Waterloo, Clinton led the2nd Division which Wellington posted in reserve behind his right flank. The 2nd Division included the 3rd British Brigade (Maj-GenFrederick Adam), the 1st King's German Legion (KGL) Brigade (Col Du Plat), the 3rd Hanoverian Brigade (ColHugh Halkett) and Lieut-Col Gold's two artillery batteries (Bolton RA and Sympher KGL). His troops helped to defeat and pursue Napoleon's Imperial Guard at the end of the battle.
In 1815 he was made Colonel of theBuffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), a position he held until his death.[3]
He died at his country residence in Ashley, Hampshire on 11 December 1829. He had married Susan, the daughter ofFrancis Charteris, Lord Elcho. They had no children.[2]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBoroughbridge 1808–1818 With:William Henry Clinton | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the3rd (the East Kent) Regiment of Foot 1815–1829 | Succeeded by |
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