The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-05-16
IFor the Richmond Daily Dispatch.
Gen. G.. r. HenninGsen.

Amidst the scerss which are Low agitating
our unhappy country, master spiri's may
rise to .he positions for which their genius
4 sthem The ssgaciors s:atesman may earn
the gratitude Of q nation, and the natural
military strateRist may foil the Vaccinations
OF a powerful foe ny catching the inspiration
of the times. Education crea tes neither the
hearts have bean toncned by The Promethean
hre that rise peGior to the crowd amids
the convulsio ns of a nation. 1t IL popular
agitation that develops the latent energy Of
revolution created q Napoleon, and the dip
lomatic craft OF scheming "a lions deyeloptd
a TalleJ rand. Amoh gst the prominent men
OF the presen. day whose character nas
been thus exhibited by the vlryine cir.
cumstauces OF a checkered life, and whose
geIiVs peculiarly e him tor eminent useful.
nsss 1T the preseat crisis, IL the gen tleman
whose name heads this article. Like young
Norvell. he had heard OF battles. ''and longed
to follow to the field some warIike lord" and
yiedioS to the bent OF his youthful iucltna.
Iions, the blandishments OF peaceful eassGno
comfort were excnanged for She perils and
privations Of the battle field, and there he
early learned the sounda which have since SO
often made music for his m artial soul There
Ia not man in the whole South who Is so IA.
milisr, by practical experience, with the vi
cisaitudes of war, and it may, with equal
truth, be said that not one OF our leaders mas
ever shown greater natural nsneSs for COM
maQu. but1nere - d CfOWQlER CQ6faCtert6 &c
which caps the whole, even as the beauty Of
q maj jsstic column-it is the daunlless hero
ism of the man. Who does not remem Der
the campaign OF the unfortunate Walker
amid the painless Sierras Of Nicaraguaf With
him, as next In command, was HenninEsen,
and who're all desponded-when foemar with.
out, and thi!st and famine withiL, threatened
demolition to their little band, the indomi.a-
BILE energy OF this officer led tn EN- to victory if
not to su bssaLtia! conquest It may be tnat
in our struggle for freedom we, too, may SUI.
fer the panRs such as wars and women only
know. snd the drocping spirits Of those who
struggle will nAed the revivifytng In fusnce Of
soul which cannot be cast down. Wherever
Henninesen may command, tho fire CT his
heart aud the unbendtng nature OF his spirit
will be Giffused among tnem veterans will
become in nvincl ble and, inspired BY their ex-
ample, raw r-Crut,s will be impr lm ptu he
-oes why is not such a uan placed in active
servicsi surely we ns such as he is,
We give below tas history Of this fl ,sr 8
gathered fdom the London Quarterly Rssit,s, the
COZ umns Of the American aud Europe IN our
nails, and from the sr ticle er rtirled ''henning-
sen" In the American Eneyelopsdio:
Gen U. r. Hsnningsen was born in Lon.
the ysas 1910. When seventeen year, Of sga,
the Spanish war then attracting tne atten u
Of Europe, he voluntsers to serve under "a.
malcarrsgui, In the Basque Provinces, and
gui's body guard. Knight Of g. ferdinand
etc The Elliott Convention, the paternity
of which is ascribed to Uol. 0urwoot, the
editor Of Wellington's dispatches, sen. young
done him ny Mr.. Aoch hart, In an article in
the Quoyt~ly Restsp, on Henntpgssn History
Of the " ar In Spain. This work won him til 9
favor ard friendship OF both wellington and
Souit who had been rival commar ders in IN =
Peninsula war. Returning to Spain, with
the rank of Lieuten AIT Colonel, before he ~as
twenty ne was inda cd TO q fortunate scci.
dent for his f1rst i'm postant command. Gen.
naa - Eva n m
san Sebastian, AMI offered ba tile The Span
ish 3el tral preten0ed 70 be sick; his chief
Of the st f. q brave young man. bat without
any ex eLslve military knowledge, was glad
to .vMl hin self Of Hen ingsen's instruct ction
in the man agemsnt OF his forces. He was
perfectly successful, tbs Foreign Legion was
beaten pack on san Ssbast tian, and their laad.
er severely wounded.
Subss a uently he held a command In the ex-
peditiou taat marched ON Madrid from Ara
gon ant CASTLE. After the battle OF vi Ia.
de. ios-N N ,varros he was assigned 70 the com
mand of the cavalry. When within three
mi les of h ao rid he was attacked by ths
q ueen's cavalry n graat force. Seventeen
times that day did he lead his men TO the
churee, before he succeeded in breaking the
RANKS Of the enemy. Ouce broken they were
routed, and he pursued 1hem to the very gate.
way Of the SpaLtsh Carital Hs received as
q reward for his gall antry on these occs sions
The rank of full Colonel and the title OF
knight Ct Is bella. HIS next service was In
Uircassia, where he spent several campaigns
in the service of Russia, and compiled u re.
port on the Caucasian countries, which was
published as o puolic document by the Rus
sian Government. He subseQ usntly wro,e
"Eevela tions Of Russia" which received the
nigh compliment of reproduction in the
United Servles Aa6astRs. He nex, appeared In
Hungary, wheAe ne exchanged tne per TOT
the sword, when the crisis In that IN.
happy country was apprOs cning. There were
50, ,O00 men and ], 800 piecss OF c'nnon la 90
morn. and the question was how best to use
these msn and guns. HeUnipgsen prop asd
plan Of cam paign. aenerai 4ayon 20 nigh y
approved It that he cbtninsd the chief com .
nand In Com orn, and was invss ed with ail
the despotic po n xers which the Diet had for
merly conferred but ON two representatves--
he Minister OF War and Count thy ami. -
When This .truggis was over, he turned his
attention to the subject of Improvements III
firearms. He made many instructive export.
ments With the p P.usstan needle gun and Hale's
rockets In Eneiand, and supsrintended the
constzuction Of the drst MINES ever made In
the late United Statek He likewise devoted
q part Of his leisure TO ntera Gurs, wrote for
the leading Rsvtews. and publishsd several
works, which, together wl'h tAose already
puhlishsd In London. viz " Twelve Months
Osmpalgu with Z7maluoarrsgui.~ - The
WhitA Save" "a novel.1" Bastsrn 1urope. /"
'Stxty Years Hsnss," a novel Of Russian dfe J
- WAnaiog1oOa ao6 OontsasA,n = and . Roysla tions
Of Russia," have besn entirely snccessful -
Whsn the war In N.cArAyus began 70 q.
sums ssxious proporttons, ths nss1sr ity for 8
soldier Of ability and experience was severely
~ >hn SNnrn a. AScanms <ps~uN. ~ 49,