Henry Whiting (1788–1851), soldier and author, was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts. He joined the United States Army as a cornet of light dragoons in 1808 and transferred to the infantry in 1815 and the artillery in 1821. Whiting was promoted to second lieutenant in 1809, first lieutenant in 1811, captain in 1817, major in 1835, lieutenant colonel in 1838, and colonel in 1846. He was given the brevet ranks of captain in 1814 for meritorious service during the War of 1812 and brigadier general in 1847 for gallantry at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican War. Whiting served as a quartermaster, 1835–38, deputy quartermaster general, 1838–46, and assistant quartermaster general, 1846–51. In addition to Ontwa, which is usually attributed to him, he published the long narrative poem Sannillac in 1831. A resident of New York City owning real estate worth $2,000 in 1850, Whiting died in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was buried in Detroit, Michigan (Henry S. Nourse, ed., The Birth, Marriage and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1643–1850 [1890], 118; Heitman, U.S. Army description begins Francis B. Heitman, comp., Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, 1903, repr. 1994, 2 vols. description ends , 1:1030; DNA: RG 29, CS, N.Y., New York, 1850; New York Evening Post, 23 Sept. 1851; gravestone inscription in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit).

The verbal illustrations in Ontwa were taken from manuscripts in the possession of Lewis Cass, the longtime governor of Michigan Territory.