The Daily Dispatch: May 16, 1862., [Electronic resource]

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[for the Richmond Daily Dispatch.]
Gen. C. F. Henningsen.

Amidst the scenes which are how agitating our unhappy country, master spirits may rise to the positions for which their genius flisthem. The sagacious states man may earn the gratitude of a nation, and the natural military strategist may foil the machinations of a powerful foe by catching the inspiration of the times. Education creates neither the one nor the other. It is only those whose hearts have been touched by the Promethean fire that rise superior to the crowd amidst the convulsions of a nation. It is popular agitation that develops the latent energy of minds that are truly great. The shock of a revolution created a Napoleon, and the diplomatic craft of scheming nations developed a Talleyrand. Amongst the prominent men of the present day whose character has been thus exhibited by the varying circumstances of a checkered life, and whose genius peculiarly fits him for eminent usefulness at the present crisis, is the gentleman whose name heads this article. Like young Norvell, he had heard of battles, ‘"and longed to follow to the field some warlike lord."’ and yielding to the bent of his youthful inclinations, the blandishments of peaceful ease and comfort were exchanged for the perils and privations of the battle field, and there he early learned the sounds which have since so often made music for his martial soul. There is not a man in the whole South who is so familiar, by practical experience, with the vicissitudes of war, and it may, with equal truth, be said that not one of our leaders has ever shown a greater natural fitness for command. But there is a crowning characteristic which caps the whole, even as the beauty of a majestic column — it is the dauntless heroism of the man. Who does not remember the campaign of the unfortunate Walker amid the pathless Sierras of Nicaragua? With him, as next in command, was Henningsen, and where all desponded — when foeman without, and thirst and famine within, threatened demolition to their little band, the indomitable energy of this officer led them to victory if not to substantial conquest. It may be that in our struggle for freedom we, too, may suffer the pangs such as wars and women only know, and the drooping spirits of those who struggle will need the revivifying influence of a soul which cannot be cast down. Wherever Henningsen may command, the fire of his heart and the unbending nature of his spirit will be diffused among them — veterans will become invincible, and, inspired by their example, raw recruits will be impromptu heroes. Why is not such a man placed in active service? Surely we need such as he is!

We give below the history of this officer as gathered from the London Quarterly Review, the columns of the American and European journals, and from the article entitled ‘"Henningsen"’ in the American Encyclopedia:

Gen C. F. Henningsen was born in London. though of Scandinavian extraction, in the year 1816. When seventeen years of age, the Spanish war then attracting the attention of Europe, he volunteered to serve under Zumalcarregul, in the Basque Provinces, and speedily arose to be Captain of Zumalcarregul's body guard, Knight of S, Ferdinandete. The Elliott Convention, the paternity of which is ascribed to Col. Gurwood, the editor of Wellington's dispatches, sent young Henningsen to England, where justice was done him by Mr. Lockhart, in an article in the Quarterly Review, on Henningsen's History of the war in Spain. This work won him the favor and friendship of both wellington and South, who had been rival commanders in the Peninsula war. Returning to Spain, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, before he was twenty, he was indebted to a fortunate accident for his first important command. Gen. Delacy Evans met the Spanish forces near San Sebastian, and offered battle. The Spanish General pretended to be sick; his chief of the staff, a brave young man, but without any extensive military knowledge, was glad to avail himself of Henningsen's instruction in the management of his forces. He was perfectly successful, the Foreign Legion was beaten back on san Sebastian, and their leader severely wounded.

Subsequently he held a command in the expedition that marched on Madrid from Aragon and Castile. After the battle of VI.-la-de-los-Navarro he was assigned to the command of the cavalry. When within three miles of Madrid he was attacked by the Queen's cavalry in great force. Seventeen times that day did he lead his men to the charge, before he succeeded in breaking the ranks of the enemy. Once broken they were routed, and he pursued them to the very gateway of the Spanish Capital. He received as a reward for his gallantry on these occasions the rank of full Colonel and the title of Knight of Isabella. His next service was in Circassia, where he spent several campaigns in the service of Russia, and compiled a report on the Caucasian counties, which was published as a public document by the Russian Government. He subsequently wrote ‘"Revelations of Russia,"’ which received the high compliment of reproduction in the United Service Magazines. He next appeared in Hungary, where he exchanged the pen for the sword, when the crisis in that unhappy country was approaching. There were 30,000 men and 1,800 pieces of cannon in Comorin, and the question was how best to use these men and guns. Henningsen prop sed a plan of campaign. General Gayon so highly approved it that he obtained the chief command in Comorin, and was invested with all the despotic powers which the Diet had formerly conferred but on two representatives — the Minister of War and Count Bathyani.--When this struggles was over, he turned his attention to the subject of improvements in fire-arms. He made many instructive experiments with the Prussian needle-gun and Hale's rockets in England, and superintended the construction of the first Minies ever made in the late United States. He likewise devoted a part of his insure to literature, wrote for the leading Reviews, and published several works, which, together with those already published in London, vix: ‘"Twelve Months Campaign with Zumalcarregul,"’ ‘"The White Slave, "’ (a novel,) ‘"Eastern Europe,"’ ‘"Sixty Years Hines, "’ (a novel of Russian life,) ‘" ies and Contrasts, "’ and ‘"Revelations of Russia,"’ have been entirely successful — When the war in Nicaragua begans to assume serious proportions, the n for a soldier of ability and experience was severely felt, and the more judicious friends of Gen. Walker immediately thought of Gen. Henningsen, who happened to be in New York. tion was made to him, his terms were at once accepted, and he embarked for Nica ragua. We will not rehearse the history of the war in Nicaragua, for it is too well known to require repetition here, Suffice it to remark, that the expedition to Nicaragua was honorable, both in its origin and its object, and based upon the expressed sanction of the Government and people of that State. It was designed ultimately to establish a Constitutional American Government throughout Central America, with the institution of African slavery as its declared labor-basis. It failed not because of any integral defect in the plans or combination of its leaders, or of any want of prowess in the men who sustained it, but because of the combined action against it of England and the then United States. The actors in that expedition have been termed ‘"filibusters."’ It the charge be just, it may be stated in honorable extenuation, that it is shared by many of the first military characters of our age, among whom may be mentioned Gen. Jos. E. Johnston, Gen. G. W. Smith, and Gen. Mansfield Lovel, who were all eminently associated with the expedition be organised against Cuba, under the immortal Quitman, in 1854. The defence and destruction of Granada form the most brilliant episode of the war in Nicaragua, and furnish the most splendid proof on record of the invincible prowess and terrible audacity of the American volunteer in battle, when properly led. For nineteen days did Henningsen, in Granada, with less than 300 men, resist the allied forces of Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, with the insurgents of Nicaragua, a total force against him of 4,000 well armed men and equipped soldiers. Day after day he led his brave command in desperate and death-dealing sorties upon the enemy, and when forced back by the sheer weight of the brute mass before him, he burned the city step by step as he retired, fighting amid concentric circles of fire, until he received the order from Gen. Walker to abandon the position, which order he obeyed, after planting a standard on the main plaza, with the inscription ‘"aqui fus Granada"’-- ‘"here stood Granada"’ He commanded in the three days combat at Masaya, and at the memorable battle of Obraje He directed the defence of Rivas, March 28 and April 11. when the allies, who penetrated into the town, were all killed or captured. At the initial point of the present struggle, as early as the 10th of November,Gen. Henningsen advocated the withdrawal of the States of the South from the Federal Union in a forcible article in the New York Herald, He then repaired to Georgia, of which noble State he is a citizen, and in which he has a considerable interest, having married a niece of the late John Pherson, for many years United States Senator from that State, and exerted his influence in behalf of prompt action. Content to serve in any capacity, so that he serves our great cause, he accepted the command of the Second Regiment attached to the Wise Legion in Western Virginia, and has not yet had an opportunity to assert his calibre in this campaign of retrograde tactics. Combining as he does all the dash and enterprise of the partisan chief with the exact knowledge and scientific culture of the higher military schools, we feel assured that on no occasion will he prove himself unworthy of his fame as a soldier.