Charles Frederick Henningsen
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick Henningsen (1815 — June 14, 1877) was an Anglo
-American
writer, mercenary
, filibuster
, and munitions expert. He participated in civil wars and independence movements in Spain
, Nicaragua
, Hungary
, and the United States
. His parents were Swedish, but he was born in England
.
, after entering as a volunteer in the service of Don Carlos
in 1834. Henningsen rose to be captain of bodyguard to the Carlist general Tomás de Zumalacárregui
. After the signing of the Lord Eliot Convention
in April 1835, at which he was present, Henningsen returned to England.
However, Henningsen soon returned to Spain with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and joined the Carlist expedition that threatened Madrid
from Aragon
.
He fought at the Battle of Villar de los Navarros
(August 24, 1837), a Carlist victory, earning the rank of colonel. He headed the Carlist lancers and was attacked outside of Madrid by Liberal (Isabeline
) forces. He led a column against these forces, capturing the outer fortifications of Madrid. He held them for several hours, until notified that Don Carlos could send him no reinforcements.
However, he was subsequently taken prisoner, and released on parole. He did not to serve again in this war. He later recorded his experiences in Spain in the book The Most Striking Events of a Twelvemonth's Campaign with Zumalacarregui, which he dedicated to Lord Eliot
. The work created controversy in Britain because it glorified Zumalacárregui and supported the Carlist position.
during the Russian-Circassian War
, and wrote up a military report on Russia, also later writing the book Revelations of Russia. This was translated into French
by Cyprien Robert and published in Paris (3 vols. 1845).
He then became involved in the revolution in Hungary
led by Lajos Kossuth
, and was also involved in the planning of the military campaign against enemy Austrian
forces.
He proposed a military plan of campaign that was well-received by Richard Debaufre Guyon
and other leaders; as a result, Henningsen was to be appointed military and civil commander of the fortress of Komárom
(Komorn). However, the Hungarian Revolution was suppressed, and Henningsen later visited Kossuth at Kütahya
in 1850, where the Hungarian leader had been detained.
Henningsen then traveled from Constantinople
to Albania
, and then crossed the Adriatic Sea
to Italy
.
He directed the defense of Rivas on March 23, 1856 and during the Second Battle of Rivas (April 11, 1856).
He was second in command at the Battle of the Transit (November 11, 1856) and at the Battle of Masaya.
He commanded the Battle of Obraje and was second in command at the 3rd and 4th battles of San Jorge.
Henningsen was responsible for burning Granada, Nicaragua
, at the time the capital of Nicaragua, on December 14, 1856. During this incident, he had taken refuge at Granada with 416 persons, 140 of whom were women, children, and wounded. Henningsen was surrounded by some 4,000 Salvadoran
and Guatemala
n troops, so he decided to burn the city, fighting his way to Lake Nicaragua
with a loss of 230 killed, wounded, and those killed by cholera
. Nothing of the city was left but a smoking ruin; when Henningsen withdrew, he left an inscription on a lance reading, in Spanish, Aquí fue Granada ("Here was Granada").
At the lake, he was joined by a reinforcement of 130 men, and routed the Salvadoran and Guatemalan forces.
On May 1, 1857 Henningsen, along with Walker, surrendered to Commander Charles Henry Davis
of the United States Navy
and was repatriated.
, U.S. Senator from Georgia
. Henningsen continued to pursue filibuster schemes and fought in the American Civil War
for the Confederacy
for a year, being made brigadier-general, and frequently had command of the defenses of Richmond
. He was involved in the Battle of Elizabeth City
.
After the war he took up his residence in Washington, D.C.
, and was involved in the movement to liberate Cuba
from Spanish rule. During his declining years, he lived in straitened circumstances, but was supported by friends such as Colonel Albert Pike
.
in The Evening Star described him as a “man of striking appearance, being tall, erect, and soldier-like in his bearing. He was gentleman of scholarly attainments, and spoke the French, Spanish, Russian, German, and Italian languages with the fluency of a native.” Another source states that "he died in 1877 without ever winning any of the causes for which he fought."
He is mentioned in Ernesto Cardenal
's poem Con Walker en Nicaragua ("With Walker in Nicaragua"):
, but also wrote about the improvement of small arms
, and superintended the development of the first Minié rifle
s in the United States.
His works include:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, filibuster
Filibuster (military)
A filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
, and munitions expert. He participated in civil wars and independence movements in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His parents were Swedish, but he was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Spain
He fought in the First Carlist WarFirst Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
, after entering as a volunteer in the service of Don Carlos
Infante Carlos, Count of Molina
The Infante Carlos of Spain was the second surviving son of King Charles IV of Spain and of his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma. As Carlos V he was the first of the Carlist claimants to the throne of Spain...
in 1834. Henningsen rose to be captain of bodyguard to the Carlist general Tomás de Zumalacárregui
Tomás de Zumalacárregui
- From Peninsula War to Ferdinand VII:Zumalacárregui was born at Ormaiztegi in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, on 29 December 1788. His father, Francisco Antonio de Zumalacárregui, was a lawyer who possessed some property, and the son was articled to a solicitor....
. After the signing of the Lord Eliot Convention
Lord Eliot Convention
The Lord Eliot Convention, or simply the Eliot Convention or Eliot Treaty , was an April 1835 agreement brokered by Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans between the two opposing sides of the First Carlist War...
in April 1835, at which he was present, Henningsen returned to England.
However, Henningsen soon returned to Spain with the rank of lieutenant-colonel and joined the Carlist expedition that threatened Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
from Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
.
He fought at the Battle of Villar de los Navarros
Battle of Villar de los Navarros
The Battle of Villar de los Navarros was a battle of the First Carlist War. It occurred near the town of Villar de los Navarros in Zaragoza Province and was a victory for the Carlists....
(August 24, 1837), a Carlist victory, earning the rank of colonel. He headed the Carlist lancers and was attacked outside of Madrid by Liberal (Isabeline
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
) forces. He led a column against these forces, capturing the outer fortifications of Madrid. He held them for several hours, until notified that Don Carlos could send him no reinforcements.
However, he was subsequently taken prisoner, and released on parole. He did not to serve again in this war. He later recorded his experiences in Spain in the book The Most Striking Events of a Twelvemonth's Campaign with Zumalacarregui, which he dedicated to Lord Eliot
Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans GCB , DL, LL.D, PC , styled Lord Elliot from 1823 to 1845, was a British politician and diplomat.-Background and education:...
. The work created controversy in Britain because it glorified Zumalacárregui and supported the Carlist position.
Russia and Hungary
Henningsen subsequently fought against the Russian army in CircassiaCircassia
Circassia was an independent mountainous country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia and was the largest and most important country in the Caucasus. Circassia was located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea...
during the Russian-Circassian War
Russian-Circassian War
The Russian–Circassian War refers to a series of battles and wars in Circassia, the northwestern part of the Caucasus, which were part of the Russian Empire's conquest of the Caucasus lasting approximately 150 years, starting under the reign of Tsar Peter the Great and being completed in 1864...
, and wrote up a military report on Russia, also later writing the book Revelations of Russia. This was translated into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Cyprien Robert and published in Paris (3 vols. 1845).
He then became involved in the revolution in Hungary
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
led by Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...
, and was also involved in the planning of the military campaign against enemy Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
forces.
He proposed a military plan of campaign that was well-received by Richard Debaufre Guyon
Richard Debaufre Guyon
Richard Debaufre Guyon , British soldier, general in the Hungarian revolutionary army and Turkish pasha , was born at Walcot, near Bath, Somerset....
and other leaders; as a result, Henningsen was to be appointed military and civil commander of the fortress of Komárom
Komárom
Komárom is a city in Hungary on the right bank of the Danube in Komárom-Esztergom county.The city of Komárom was formerly a separate suburban village called...
(Komorn). However, the Hungarian Revolution was suppressed, and Henningsen later visited Kossuth at Kütahya
Kütahya
Kütahya is a city in western Turkey with 212,444 inhabitants , lying on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Kütahya Province, inhabited by some 517 804 people...
in 1850, where the Hungarian leader had been detained.
Henningsen then traveled from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, and then crossed the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Nicaragua
In 1851, Henningsen traveled to the United States shortly after Kossuth arrived in that country. He remained in the United States as a representative of Hungarian interests. Henningsen served under William Walker in Nicaragua from October 1856, and was appointed major-general, commanding Walker's artillery.He directed the defense of Rivas on March 23, 1856 and during the Second Battle of Rivas (April 11, 1856).
He was second in command at the Battle of the Transit (November 11, 1856) and at the Battle of Masaya.
He commanded the Battle of Obraje and was second in command at the 3rd and 4th battles of San Jorge.
Henningsen was responsible for burning Granada, Nicaragua
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
, at the time the capital of Nicaragua, on December 14, 1856. During this incident, he had taken refuge at Granada with 416 persons, 140 of whom were women, children, and wounded. Henningsen was surrounded by some 4,000 Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n troops, so he decided to burn the city, fighting his way to Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation...
with a loss of 230 killed, wounded, and those killed by cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. Nothing of the city was left but a smoking ruin; when Henningsen withdrew, he left an inscription on a lance reading, in Spanish, Aquí fue Granada ("Here was Granada").
At the lake, he was joined by a reinforcement of 130 men, and routed the Salvadoran and Guatemalan forces.
On May 1, 1857 Henningsen, along with Walker, surrendered to Commander Charles Henry Davis
Charles Henry Davis
Charles Henry Davis was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, serving primarily during the American Civil War, and with the United States Coast Survey.-Early life and career:...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and was repatriated.
United States
He became a citizen of the United States and was married to a niece of John M. BerrienJohn M. Berrien
John Macpherson Berrien of Georgia was a United States Senator and Andrew Jackson's Attorney General.Born at Rocky Hill, New Jersey, to a family of Huguenot ancestry, Berrien moved with his parents to Savannah, Georgia, in 1782; was graduated from Princeton College in 1796; studied law in...
, U.S. Senator from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Henningsen continued to pursue filibuster schemes and fought in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
for a year, being made brigadier-general, and frequently had command of the defenses of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. He was involved in the Battle of Elizabeth City
Battle of Elizabeth City
The Battle of Elizabeth City of the American Civil War was fought in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Roanoke Island. It took place on February 10, 1862, on the Pasquotank River near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The participants were vessels of the U.S...
.
After the war he took up his residence in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and was involved in the movement to liberate Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from Spanish rule. During his declining years, he lived in straitened circumstances, but was supported by friends such as Colonel Albert Pike
Albert Pike
Albert Pike was an attorney, Confederate officer, writer, and Freemason. Pike is the only Confederate military officer or figure to be honored with an outdoor statue in Washington, D.C...
.
Death
His 1877 obituaryObituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The Evening Star described him as a “man of striking appearance, being tall, erect, and soldier-like in his bearing. He was gentleman of scholarly attainments, and spoke the French, Spanish, Russian, German, and Italian languages with the fluency of a native.” Another source states that "he died in 1877 without ever winning any of the causes for which he fought."
He is mentioned in Ernesto Cardenal
Ernesto Cardenal
Reverend Father Ernesto Cardenal Martínez is a Nicaraguan Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, a party he has since left. From 1979 to 1987 he served as Nicaragua's first culture minister. He is also famous as a poet...
's poem Con Walker en Nicaragua ("With Walker in Nicaragua"):
- And then came that Englishman, C. F. Henningsen,
- who'd fought against the Czar and in Spain and for the independence of Hungary.
Writings and munitions expertise
Henningsen's specialty was artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, but also wrote about the improvement of small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
, and superintended the development of the first Minié rifle
Minié rifle
The Minié rifle was an important rifle in the 19th century, developed in 1849 following the invention of the Minié ball in 1847 by the French Army captains Claude-Étienne Minié of the Chasseurs d'Orléans and Henri-Gustave Delvigne. The rifle was designed to allow rapid muzzle loading of rifles, an...
s in the United States.
His works include:
- Analogies and Contrasts; or Comparative Sketches of France and England. By the author of “Revelations of Russia” (London, 1848).
- Eastern Europe and The Emperor Nicholas. By the author of “Revelations of Russia;” “The White Slave.” 3 Vols. (London: T.C. Newby, 1846). (Also translated into German).
- “The Emperor Nicholas, His Nobles, Serfs, and Servants,” The New Monthly MagazineThe New Monthly MagazineThe New Monthly Magazine was a British monthly magazine published by Henry Colburn between 1814 and 1884.-History:Colburn and Frederic Shoberl established The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register as a "virulently Tory" competitor to Sir Richard Phillips' Monthly Magazine in 1814...
. Vol. 70 (April 1844): 477-93. - “The Emperor Nicholas, His Nobles, Serfs, and Servants” (Concluded), The New Monthly Magazine. Vol. 71 (June 1844): 216-31.
- Kossuth and “The Times.” By the author of “The Revelations of Russia” (London, 1851).
- The Last of the Sophias: a poem (London, 1831).
- The Most Striking Events of a Twelvemonth’s Campaign with Zumalacarregui in Navarre and the Basque Provinces. 2 Vols. (London: John Murray, 1836). (Translated into Spanish, German, and French).
- The National Defenses. By the author of “The Revelations of Russia,” etc. (London: T.C. Newby, 1848).
- The Past and Future of Hungary, by C.F. Henningsen, Secretary to Governor Louis Kossuth, author of “Twelve Months’ Campaign with Zumalacarregui,” “Revelations of Russia,” “Eastern Europe,” etc. (Cincinnati: E. Morgan, 1852).
- Revelations of Russia: or the Emperor Nicholas and His Empire in 1844. By one who has seen and describes. 2 Vols. (London: Henry Colburn, 1844). (Translated into French and German).
- Revelations of Russia in 1846. By an English resident. Third edition. 2 Vols. (London: Henry Colburn, 1846). (Translated into German).
- “St. Petersburg and Its Inhabitants,” The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist. Vol. 69 (October 1843): 241-59.
- Scenes from the Belgian Revolution (London, 1832).
- The Siege of Missalonghi (London, 1832).
- Sixty Years Hence: A Novel. By the author of “The White Slave,” etc. 3 Vols. (London: Henry Colburn, 1847).
- The White Slave; or, The Russian Peasant Girl. By the author of “Revelations of Russia.” 3 Vols. (London: Henry Colburn, 1845).