Born in
Nakskov, From received his first education at the grammar school of
Nykøbing Falster. He entered the army as a volunteer during the
Prussian–Danish War (Schleswig-Holstein War of Succession), where he served in the brigade of Major-General
Olaf Rye and partook in the
Battle of Fredericia on 6 July 1849. After the war From settled in
Copenhagen. He was employed by the Statistical Bureau, where he met
Magnus Oscar Møllerstrøm, then the strongest chess player in Copenhagen. Next, he worked in the central office for prison management, and in 1890 he became an inspector of the penitentiary of
Christianshavn. In 1891 he received the order
Ridder af Dannebrog ("Knight of the Danish cloth", i.e.
flag of Denmark), which is the second highest of Danish orders. ==Chess career==