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March 8, 2014 |
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Ward was born on November 29, 1831 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was educated in the public schools of Salem. At his father's urging he became a merchant sailor and eventaul became a captain of a merchant steamboat. Sailing,however did not capture his interest and he favored a more adventurous life in the military. He served in the forces of William Walker (soldier)|William Walker in Nicaragua and later served in the French army during the Crimean War. In 1859 he sailed to China during the midst of the Taiping Rebellion. Ward arrived in Shanghai at the time when the Taiping rebels had been highly successful and were within 18 miles of the city. With no formal military training and only his experiences in Nicaragua and the Crimea, Ward raised a force of mixed nationalities and accepted an offer of $200,000 by the Chinese government to capture the city of Sung-Kiang held by 10,000 rebels. The Battle of Sung-Kiang was decisive victory for Ward in the face of 100-1 odds. The rebels used for the first time in Chinese vocabulary the term "foriegn devils" to describe the force that overran their possition. For his victory Ward recieved the payment and was made a fourth-degree Mandarin. He next attacked the city of Singpo. In the Battle of Singpo Ward's army was eventually forced to fall back and Ward suffered from 5 bullet wounds. His recovery spread belief that he was a god and prompted Ward himself to exclaim "the bullet was not cast which was to end my life". Ward was hired by the Qing Imperial Merchants to Defend Shanghai in August 1860. After recovering from his wounds he returned to the field and organized an army of three regiments of Chinese soldiers and European officers. He armed and trained the Chinese in his army like European soldiers. He marched to Shanghai and arrived just in time to repulse a numerically superior Force of Taipings led by "Loyal Prince Lee". He continued to score victories agains the rebels and cleared the Shanghai countryside from any threat and in the fall of 1861 he won the Battle of Ningpo and captured the city. For his victories around Shanghai, Ward was appointed an Admiral-General in the service of the Emporer and made a Mandarin of the highest degree. He married the daughter of an influential Chinese family and accepted the Chinese name, Hua. Ward had been serving closely with United Kingdom|British officers in China. However at this same time the Trent Affair had occured and the United States, Ward's homeland, was on the brink of war with Britiain. The British officials in China made plans to sieze American ships in Chinese waters, but Ward made plans of his own to take possession of these ships before the British could. As the rebellion in China progressed the American Civil War also progressed into its second year. Ward wished to return to the U.S. and offer his services to the United States|union army. He sent an offer of $10,000 to the Unites States government to aid in the war effort. Before he returned to his homeland, he marched his Ever Victorious Army against the rebels in the city of Ning-Po. In the following Battle of Ning-Po Ward was fatally shot through the stomach but continued directing his forces until victory was secured. He died the following day, 21 September, 1862. He recieved an honorable funeral attended by many Chinese and British officials. He was buried in the city of Sung-Kiang, site of his first victory in China. A temple on his gravesite was dedicated in 1877 It is speculated that had Ward not been in China or his untimely death prevented him from returning to the U.S.; he may have become one of the United State's greatest military leaders during the American Civil War|Civil War. As it is, he is remembered as one of China's greatest military heroes and the salvation of Shanghai is owed to him. Command of his army was given to Charles George Gordon|Charles "Chinese" Gordon who brought continued fame and success to the "Ever Victorious Army".
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Frederick Townsend Ward".
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