Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-26
THE QUEEN OF THE ANTILLES.
American Help for The Cuban
ReVOlutiOniStS. i .

landing of the First ExpedIGiOnarJ
| FOree-GeneraI HennIngsen In Com
| mand-A Sk eIeh Of his Adventurous
Career. ILL., ..r ......... T.. .
From the Charleston News. March y
| 10 the NeioS 4 few days ago We pubN
lshed an account Of the arrival Of Capt
Bonneau, of this city, in Cuba, and stated
that Gen. Jordan, Of the Confederate
army, had also landed on the island, the
whole scheme beng formed and carried
out with the knowledge and tacit approy>
al OF President Grant We expected
that in short time there would be nav
Developments, and we have received in
formation which enables us to confirm all
that we have already said as to the ex-
tent of the American movement in aid of
the Cuban Eevolutionists and the way in
which the government is winking at the
shipment and departure Of large bands Of
OF gallant men, whose aim is to help the
Oubans to free themselves from the worm
odt despotism which is now endeaVoFing
to crush them back to obedience. ai
But, to the point. A letter was re-
celved yesterday in this city from a point
which shall be nameless in which it is
stated that General Henningsen, of Mica
ragua fame, has actually landed in Cuba
with force Of eleven hundred man, all
well provided with arms and munitions
of war. The letter. emitting names, is
as follows: .. ....
"--, March 90, l869.-Dear
=: | received your letter on Satur-
day, and the next morning went to Hen
ningsen to deliver your message. 10
my great surprise found that he had
gone out Of town, and that his return was
uncertain. knowing how important II
was that you should be able to communis
cate with him, l tried to ascertain what
had become of him, but without effect,
until this morning, when ! met Mr..
NJ, who told me the truth about it.
Henningsen is now in Cuba, and if you
want to reach him by letter you must
address him, care of -, Nassau, n. |
P, and your letters will be forwarded by
the first opportunity. confess that this |
news surprised and shocked me, but he |
is not alone, and may, We hope, be so
brilliantly successful as to gid with for
tune the days OF his declining life. About |
eleven hundred men are in the party, all |
Of them old soldiers and more than one |
hundred Of them ex>officers in the Fed |
eral and Confederate armies. Among |
the COnfederates are Major Gen. R,
who, as you know, was one OF the coolest
and bravest officers in the cavalry sery-
ice; Brig. Gen. S. -. whose brilli-
ant career you are familiar with, and Col
j. and Col. B, who are well
known to you by reputation. There are
several ex,Federal officers, and the whole
corps is under the command of Hens
ningsen himself His wife, | hear, is
anxious about him, but she has confidence
in his bravery and skill, and believes that
he will come ourall right. This is about
all that | can gather. You had better
write Immediately to the address | have
indicated "Yours faithfully, --.''
Gen. O. f. Henningsen, who is in COM
mand of this important expedition, and
will doubtless attain high rank in the
Cuban army, was born Of Swedish par
ents in England in 1915. In 1884, when
only nineteen years OF age, he joined the
CaTlist army in Spain, and, by his lead
ing daring, soon rose to the rank Of Lieur
tenant Colonel. When the peace conven-
ton was concluded, he returned to Eng
land, but when the war again broke out
in Spain be returned to that country, re-
entered the revolutionary army, and re-
ceiyed a commission as Colonel. He was
taken prisoner by the ROyalist troops, and
after his release held high command 10
the Russian army in Circassia. He next
Joined with KOssuth in the Hungarian
revolution, but his plan Of campaign,
though adopted, was never carried out.
When the insureection was at an end,
Col, Henningsen came TO the United |
States, and aiteTward joined the Nicara-
qua expedition, in which he held the
rank of MAJOR General commanding, be-
ing the life and soul of the forces. At
the beginning Of the late war, he entered
the Confederate army, and IS said to have
been the means Of extricating Gen. Lee
from the tolls of ROsecrans, in the noun
tains Of Virginia. But Gen. Henningsen
was no favOrite with the Confederate
He advised that GOO, 900
rifles, 100000 blankets, 400 pieces Of
field artillery, and 100000 rounds of
small arm ammunition should be bought
at once and paid for by the hypothecation
of cotton. These ideas were communi-
Gated to Gen. Toombs, and by him to
President Davis, who said that Henning~
sen was fool. When this tale was told
to Henningsen, he Tetorted that Davis
was an ass, which, coming to the ears of
the President, cut of all hope OF prOmoN
ton, and ended his career in the Cons
federate army.
Gen. Henningsen is a man OF consider
able literary ability and has written sew
eTal standard works on different subjects,
OF him, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston said
"No man, whatever his profession, can
talk with Henningsen hall an hour with> |
out learning something" The specially
Of Gen. Henningsen is artillery tactics,
but he is at home in every arm ofthe SER
vice, and in his element whenever there IS
a sword to be drawn, or a people TO be
freed. Since the close Of the war Gen.
Henningsen has been intimate with Gen.
Grant and Gen. Sherman, and has, 1t Is
said been admitted to their fullconfdence.
This accounts for the fact that the vet
eran General is at the head of the exPe-
dictionary corps, and that it should have
been organized, shipped and landed,
without hint to the outside world. This
time Gen. Henningsen counts upon sue
cess, as a means at cancelling his ancient
grudge against Spain, resulting from the
CaIlist war.
General Heningsen married, daugh-
ter OF the late Senator BeTrien, of GeOr-
gia. Mrs. Henningsen is an accom-
plishsd lady, and made hosts Of friends
by her noble conduct during the war.
1t is very evident that these Cuban
movements cannot much longer be kept
secret, and when all the truth is known
there will be an awful shaking among the
dry bones Of the Spanish dominion.