Charles Frederick Henningsen facts for kids
Charles Frederick Henningsen (born 1815 – died 14 June 1877) was an interesting person who was a writer, a mercenary (a soldier who fights for money), and an expert in weapons. He took part in many wars and movements for independence in countries like Spain, Nicaragua, Hungary, and the United States.
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Early Life
Charles Henningsen was born in Brussels. His father, John Henningsen, was from Copenhagen, Denmark. His mother, Louisa Burke, was from Ireland. Charles loved adventure when he was young. He admired Lord Byron, a famous writer and adventurer.
His family lived in Brussels until the Belgian Revolution started. They supported the Dutch side, so they had to leave. They first went to Paris, then to London. One of his sisters, Josephine Amelie de Henningsen, became a nun and started a religious order in South Africa.
Fighting in Spain
In 1834, Henningsen joined the First Carlist War in Spain as a volunteer. He fought for Don Carlos. He quickly became a captain in the bodyguard of the Carlist general, Tomás de Zumalacárregui.
After a peace agreement was signed in April 1835, Henningsen went back to England. But he soon returned to Spain as a lieutenant-colonel. He joined the Carlist army that was moving towards Madrid.
He fought in the Battle of Villar de los Navarros in 1837, which the Carlists won. He became a colonel after this battle. He led his soldiers and even captured parts of Madrid's defenses. However, he was told that Don Carlos could not send more help.
Henningsen was later captured but then released. He did not fight in this war again. He wrote a book about his experiences in Spain called The Most Striking Events of a Twelvemonth's Campaign with Zumalacarregui. This book caused some debate in Britain because it praised General Zumalacárregui and supported the Carlist side.
Adventures in Russia and Hungary
After Spain, Henningsen fought against the Russian army in Circassia. He wrote a military report about Russia and a book called Revelations of Russia. This book was translated into French.
He then became involved in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. This was a fight for Hungary's independence led by Lajos Kossuth. Henningsen helped plan military actions against the Austrian forces.
He suggested a military plan that was liked by other leaders. He was supposed to become a commander of the Komárom fortress. However, the Hungarian Revolution was stopped. Henningsen later visited Kossuth, who had been held captive.
After this, he traveled from Constantinople to Albania and then crossed the sea to Italy.
In Nicaragua
In 1851, Henningsen went to the United States. He worked there to represent Hungarian interests. From October 1856, he served under William Walker in Nicaragua. Walker was a "filibuster," meaning he led private military expeditions to other countries. Henningsen became a major-general and was in charge of Walker's artillery.
He led the defense of Rivas in two battles in 1856. He was also second in command at the Battle of the Transit and the Battle of Masaya. He commanded the Battle of Obraje and was second in command in later battles of San Jorge.
On December 14, 1856, Henningsen was in Granada, Nicaragua, which was the capital at the time. He was surrounded by about 4,000 soldiers from Salvador and Guatemala. He had 416 people with him, including women, children, and wounded. To escape, he decided to burn the city. He then fought his way to Lake Nicaragua. When he left, the city was in ruins. He left a sign that said, in Spanish, Aquí fue Granada ("Here was Granada").
At the lake, he got more soldiers and defeated the Salvadoran and Guatemalan forces. On May 1, 1857, Henningsen and Walker surrendered to the United States Navy. They were sent back home.
Life in the United States
Charles Henningsen became a citizen of the United States. He married a niece of John M. Berrien, a U.S. Senator from Georgia. Henningsen continued to be involved in military plans.
He fought in the American Civil War for the Confederacy for about a year. He was made a colonel and often commanded the defenses of Richmond. He was also involved in the Battle of Elizabeth City. However, he had disagreements with the Confederate War Department, which ended his military service. His wife, Wilhelmina "Willy" Henningsen, ran a hospital in Richmond until 1863. She was known for being kind to wounded soldiers.
After the war, he lived in Washington, D.C. He was involved in trying to help Cuba become free from Spanish rule. In his later years, he did not have much money, but friends like Colonel Albert Pike supported him.
Death
Charles Henningsen died on June 14, 1877. His obituary (a notice of his death) in The Evening Star newspaper described him as a "man of striking appearance." It also said he was a "gentleman of scholarly attainments" and could speak French, Spanish, Russian, German, and Italian very well. Another source said he died "without ever winning any of the causes for which he fought."
He is mentioned in a poem by Ernesto Cardenal called Con Walker en Nicaragua ("With Walker in Nicaragua").
Writings and Weapons Expertise
Henningsen was especially good with artillery (large guns). He also wrote about how to make small arms better. He helped develop the first Minié rifles in the United States.
Some of his writings include:
- The Most Striking Events of a Twelvemonth's Campaign with Zumalacarregui (1836) – about his time in Spain.
- Revelations of Russia (1844) – about Russia.
- The White Slave; or, The Russian Peasant Girl (1845)
- The Past and Future of Hungary (1852) – about Hungary.
See also
In Spanish: Charles Frederick Henningsen para niños
