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72-715: Though the Army was only active for a few years, from 1860 to 1864, it was instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion. It was the first Chinese army which was trained in European techniques, tactics, and strategy. The Ever Victorious Army had its beginnings as a force formed under the command of Frederick Townsend Ward in 1860. The Ever-Victorious Army repulsed another attack on Shanghai in 1862 and helped to defend other treaty ports such as Ningbo. They also aided imperial troops in reconquering Taiping strongholds along

144-457: A western as Jackson O'Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. Jordan claimed to have ghostwritten an "international thriller" that is still believed to have been written by someone else. Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina . He went to Clemson University after high school, but dropped out after one year and enlisted in the U.S. Army . He served two tours of duty during

216-503: A banner carrying a Chinese rendering of his own name reading "HUA" (華, 华). His forces drove the Taipings from their entrenched positions, despite greater rebel numbers. A week later, after a return march, Ward's forces struck at the city of Guangfulin, occupied by over 20,000 Taiping troops, just five miles from Ward's own headquarters. Ward, at the head of five hundred men, attacked the city without artillery support. The defenders, seeing

288-495: A commander with more Confucian leanings. By September, the Ever Victorious Army would number over 5,000 men, organized in four battalions as well as an artillery corps, with several riverboats used for transport and mobile artillery. Robert Jordan James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan , was an American author of epic fantasy . He

360-403: A fair share of mockery. In time, as the troops proved themselves the equal of their European counterparts, both on the parade ground and the battlefield, their distinct uniforms would become a point of pride. Another point of pride was their pay, which was both high and consistent by Chinese standards – a strong recruiting drive that triumphed over most discomfort with unfamiliar uniforms. The pay

432-401: A force of foreign nationals in defense of Shanghai against encroaching Taiping forces. Wu Xu and Yang Fang both increasingly recognized that such a force was necessary, as Imperial forces, frequently staffed by Confucian scholars and conscripts, rather than experienced commanders and soldiers, had all too often proven unequal to the task of defeating Taiping forces. Through their contacts with

504-456: A house built in 1797. He listed John D. MacDonald , Jane Austen , Louis L'Amour , Charles Dickens , Robert A. Heinlein , Mark Twain and Montaigne as his favorite authors. On March 23, 2006, Jordan revealed that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and that, with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years. In a separate weblog post, he encouraged his fans not to worry about him and stated that he intended to have

576-628: A large number of boats bearing Taiping supplies and arms. The Taipings beat a hasty retreat, rather than lay siege to such a hornet's nest. It was this moment, perhaps, that secured Ward's reputation among all the people of the Shanghai area; Chinese, Western and Taiping alike. From this moment on, the key Western commanders and politicians would support him, funds for troops would flow relatively freely from Imperial coffers, and his decisions would no longer be second-guessed by his backers in Shanghai. By March 1862, Ward's force would be officially named by

648-551: A lieutenant with the French Army in the Crimean War . He learned about weapons, tactics, using riflemen in mobile platoons rather than in fixed firing lines and siege techniques. Ward also learned that the frontal assault was of limited value against disciplined long-range firepower, and he gained experience under fire. He did not serve throughout the entire war, because he was 'allowed' to resign after being insubordinate to

720-426: A long and creative life. He began chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic during early April 2006. He participated in a study of the drug Revlimid , which had been approved recently for multiple myeloma but not yet tested for primary amyloidosis . Jordan died on September 16, 2007, from complications stemming from multiple myeloma. His funeral service was on September 19, 2007. He was cremated and his ashes buried in

792-613: A new scheme, in which he would reform the more reliable elements of the Corps into the nucleus of an effective fighting force, composed primarily of local Chinese. Credit for the concept of training Chinese in Western military tactics and arming them with the best available weaponry is sometimes given to Ward, other times to Li Hongzhang , a local Imperial commander "ordered to cooperate with — and keep an eye on — Ward's unruly contingent" and other times to Burgevine, who according to some began

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864-519: A nominal establishment of two foreign officers, seven Chinese non-commissioned officers and up to 80 Chinese privates. There was one Chinese interpreter per regiment, although commands were given exclusively in English which had to be learnt by rote. Ward created a separate Bodyguard of Filipinos numbering 200–300. Under Gordon this force comprised a company of foreigners (including both Africans and Europeans) and 100 handpicked Chinese soldiers. By 1863

936-497: A notoriety that attracted new recruits (for the pay was attractive, even if looting was discouraged by Ward), and enraged local Westerners who saw Ward as an inflammatory, filibustering element sure to force the Taipings to stop the flow of trade. More disconcertingly, the Taipings themselves were now aware of a new and potent force against them. On August 2, 1860, Ward led the Foreign Arms Corps against Chingpu (上海青浦),

1008-520: A position as second mate on the Hamilton , a clipper ship commanded by a family friend. Another version is that Ward demanded to leave school. Life at sea proved difficult. Ward was given authority over many "old salts". He was thrown overboard after complaints that he gave too many orders for a youth. Captain William Allen recalled that Ward possessed traits of "reckless daring", but was on

1080-598: A small, motley group of mercenaries than readily available local citizenry, because the average Chinese of the time had little understanding of marksmanship, nor much impetus to defend the Manchu throne. Further, with Taiping armies edging closer to Shanghai, there was no time to train native peasants in either conventional Chinese or Western warfare. On the Shanghai docks, however, Westerners with diverse military experience existed as "discharged seamen, deserters, and other drifters who made Shanghai their temporary home, and even

1152-584: A superior officer. In 1857, Ward sought work as a mercenary, but when he did not secure such work, he served as the first mate on a coastal steamship in dangerous waters. He worked as a shipping agent in his father's New York City office alongside his brother in 1859. The Gen. Ward came to Penang on the steamer Ganges accompanied by the U.S. Minister and was transferred to the USS Powhatan on his way to Pekin in May 1859. The American government also at

1224-461: Is known best for his series The Wheel of Time (finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death) which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel . He is one of several writers to have written original Conan the Barbarian novels; his are considered by fans to be some of the best of the non- Robert E. Howard efforts. Jordan also published historical fiction using the pseudonym Reagan O'Neal,

1296-524: The Suzhou area to Western steamers. Taiping land forces could contend with 'foreign devils,' he believed, but rebel water forces could not". Throughout this time, Ward's reputation continued to grow. Ward himself, outwardly caring little for public adulation, still sought to quench some inner need for further glory, and hoped to participate in an eventual strike against Nanjing, the Taiping capital, but this

1368-622: The Taiping Rebellion . He commanded the Ever Victorious Army , a joint Sino-foreign force, against the Taiping rebels. He remained in command of the Ever Victorious Army until his death in battle in 1862, after which leadership was taken over by Henry Andres Burgevine . Ward was born in Salem, Massachusetts on November 29, 1831. Ward was rebellious in his youth, so his father removed Ward from school in 1847 and found him

1440-503: The Taiping Rebellion . Li Hongzhang said of Gordon: "What a sight it is for tired eyes, what an elixir for a weary heart to watch this Englishman fight. Planning by day, executing by night, planning by night, executing by day; he is a glorious fellow." The infantry of the Ever Victorious Army was organised into battalions, usually referred to during the period of Gordon's command as regiments. By 1864 there were six regiments numbering between 250 and 650 men. Each comprised six companies, with

1512-656: The Vietnam War as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster , the Bronze Star with "V" and oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam in 1970, Jordan studied physics at The Citadel . He graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree and began working for the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer . He began writing in 1977. Robert Jordan

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1584-526: The 1850s it is almost certain that Ward had ulterior motives for his return. He had little respect for the Shanghai business practices, which he dismissed as "lying, swindling and smuggling". Their arrival coincided with a buildup of Taiping forces in the area. While Ward's brother set up a trading business in Shanghai, Ward himself took up customary employment as the executive officer on the Confucius , an armed riverboat commanded by an American, employed by

1656-523: The Ever Victorious Army included a separate artillery arm, comprising six batteries of Heavy and Light Artillery. Each had an establishment of five foreign officers, 19 Chinese non-commissioned officers and 120–150 Chinese gunners. Ward bought and chartered a flotilla of about twelve armed paddle steamers, supported by 30–50 Chinese gunboats. Under Gordon this small navy dwindled to two steamers, subsequently increased to six. Both steamers and gunboats were fitted with 9- or 12-pounder bow-guns. The largest vessel

1728-412: The Ever Victorious Army was mainly to operate within a thirty-mile radius of Shanghai. The Ever Victorious Army numbered around 5,000 soldiers at its height. It often defeated rebel forces which were numerically much larger because it was better armed, better commanded, and better trained. It was the first Chinese army to incorporate western style training and tactics, modern weaponry, and most important,

1800-517: The Qing government, and to history, as the " Ever Victorious Army ", and Ward himself would be made first a 4th-rank, and then a 3rd-rank mandarin , high honors from the Manchu court for a "barbarian". Through the course of 1862, the Ever Victorious Army (常勝軍) would essentially live up to its name, repeatedly defeating numerically superior opponents, often in entrenched positions. Further, its presence on

1872-781: The Shanghai Pirate Suppression Bureau. The Bureau was organized by Xue Huan and Wu Xu, Shanghai governmental officials who took pains to shield explicit imperial association with Western mercenaries and military, and primarily funded by Yang Fang, a prominent Ningbo banker and mercantilist. Ward's show of bravery and initiative on board the Confucius reflected great credit upon him, and the prominent men of Shanghai took notice. His exploits, previous military experience, ability to empathise with local populations and motivate Chinese soldiers, and his stated mercenary intentions, made him an attractive candidate to lead

1944-486: The Shanghai area from sailors, deserters and adventurers. Many were dismissed in the summer of 1861, but the remainder became the officers of 1,200 Chinese soldiers recruited by Ward in and around Songjiang ( romanized at the time as "Sungkiang"). The Chinese troops were increased to 3,000 by May 1862, all equipped with Western firearms and equipment by the British authorities in Shanghai. Throughout its four-year existence

2016-477: The Taiping rebels. In 1865, Burgevine was arrested by Imperial officers and died in a drowning accident. It is unclear as to whether Yang was still funding the Corps in the late fall of 1860, but upon Ward's return in the spring of 1861, Ward was able to attract desired elements of the Corps back to his employ. After his return, Ward tenaciously began to recruit and train replacements for the Foreign Arms Corps, offering terms attractive enough to cause desertion among

2088-467: The US consul refused to prosecute him, at which point British Admiral James Hope locked him up in a room of his flagship to prevent more British men from being lured into Qing military service. Ward jumped through an open window late one night, and promptly disappeared. In May 1861, Ward once again led the Foreign Arms Corps into battle at Chingpu, and once again, the assault failed, with heavy casualties. This

2160-542: The Western business community, and Ward's own relentless self-promotion, in the spring of 1860 Wu and Fang reached out to Ward and became his employers. Ward then began scouring the wharves of Shanghai for every Westerner, sober or otherwise, capable of firing a weapon. With this, the Shanghai Foreign Arms Corps was born, which in defeat, would form the nucleus for the Ever Victorious Army . In 1860, both Chinese and Westerners would place more faith in

2232-503: The Yangtze River. Qing forces were reorganised under the command of Zeng Guofan , Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang , and the Qing reconquest began in earnest. By early 1864, Qing control in most areas was reestablished. Townsend Ward introduced what were for the time radical ideas involving force structure, training, discipline, and weaponry (though there are historians who question whether his lieutenant and confidant Li Hongzhang

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2304-601: The artillery and some infantry was transferred to Chinese Imperial forces. Robert Jordan named the Seanchan army in his Wheel of Time fantasy series after the Ever Victorious Army. Ward turns up in George MacDonald Fraser 's fictional The Flashman Papers series novel Flashman and the Dragon as a Yangtze opium smuggler (apocryphal) and as the leader of the embryonic Ever Victorious Army. In

2376-424: The battlefield and example of effective Chinese soldiering served as a "force multiplier" for Imperial Anhui units commanded by Li Hongzhang, between whom and Ward mutual respect grew during joint operations. During the summer, Ward's " duckfoot " background found immediate application to the problems of land warfare. The Chung Wang's growing Taiping forces in the area led to multiple threats at multiple points across

2448-537: The best of the survivors of the Foreign Arms Corp, and supported by a strong Headquarters staff, Ward trained an increasing number (see below) of Chinese in western small arms, gunnery, tactics, customs and drill and ceremonies. Particular care was taken to train the Chinese to hold their fire until their targets were within effective range. Chinese troops, both Taiping and Imperial, "had a lingering faith… in

2520-517: The best small arms (including Colt revolvers ) and rifles available for purchase in Shanghai. Protesting that his forces were not fully trained, Ward was forced by his Shanghai backers to take his men into action alongside Imperial forces probing Taiping advances, retaking two captured towns. They were then forced by circumstances (and the urging of their Shanghai backers) to assault the Taiping occupied and fortified city of Songjiang, without artillery —a near-impossible task. The attack failed, sending

2592-454: The book would get published even if "the worst actually happens". On December 7, 2007, Tor Books announced that Brandon Sanderson had been chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series. Harriet McDougal , Jordan's widow, chose him after reading Mistborn: The Final Empire . All paperback (PB) page totals given are for the most widely available mass-market paperback editions. The page count for

2664-524: The churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek , outside Charleston, South Carolina . Jordan's papers can be found in the special collections of the College of Charleston . Jordan published 11 books of 14 in the main sequence of the Wheel of Time series. Reviewers and fans of the earlier books noted a slowing of the pace of events in the last few installments written solely by Jordan owing to

2736-406: The city. Ward left Shanghai (apparently secretly) in late 1860 for further treatment of his facial wound, while the remnants of the Corps remained more or less under the command of Burgevine. After Ward's death, Burgevine briefly took command of the force, but could not get along with his Imperial Chinese superiors and struck Yang Fang, whereupon Burgevine was relieved of command; he later went over to

2808-610: The concept of light infantry units which could move faster than their opponents. Following Ward's death in September 1862 after the Battle of Cixi , command of the Ever Victorious Army passed, after a short period of time, to Charles George Gordon , known as "Chinese" Gordon. Under Gordon the Ever Victorious Army, in collaboration with the Chinese Imperial forces, would fight some of the final and decisive battles that ended

2880-414: The concept's true origin, Ward became its champion and after his untimely death, no other commander could quite repeat his success. Ward's decision to turn to local Chinese forces would ensure his place in history, and help to end the Taiping Rebellion . By summer 1861, a training camp was established by Xue Huan's "right hand man" Wu Xu (吳煦) at Song Chiang (松江), where Ward set up operations. Working with

2952-505: The conflict, and was absolutely confident in his troops' ability to defend his Songjiang headquarters, while simultaneously operating as "flying columns" to be directed to strategic areas and Taiping vulnerabilities. He soon had several opportunities to test this confidence. In the middle of January, about 10 miles north of Shanghai in Wu-Sung, and over 25 snow-covered miles from their own headquarters, Ward led his new army into action, under

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3024-449: The curriculum included military tactics, strategy, drill, and ceremonies. In 1850 he shipped out as first mate of the clipper ship Russell Clover . His father was the captain. Aside from working as a sailor during the 1850s, Ward found employment as a filibuster . Filibustering is "raising private mercenary armies and leading them into other countries to advance either [one's own] schemes or those of wealthy sponsors". Ward worked for

3096-435: The expansion of the scale of the series as a whole. Because of his health problems, Jordan did not work at full force on the final installment A Memory of Light (later split into three volumes beginning with The Gathering Storm ), but blog entries confirmed that he continued work on it until his death, and he shared all of the significant plot details with his family not long before he died. He maintained that in doing so

3168-510: The field without adequate preparation by Ward's frantic sponsors, the poorly trained and ill-disciplined contingent stood virtually no chance of success against Li Xiucheng's seasoned troops. Sometimes drunk and always disorderly, the Foreign-Arms Corps depended primarily on the element of surprise and the superiority of Western weapons to obtain victory. Ward clearly recognized the harsh truth of this statement. He soon embarked upon

3240-410: The force had declined in numbers to 1,700 men. In the final year of its existence, the Ever Victorious Army was largely recruited from former Taiping rebels who had been taken prisoner and persuaded to change sides. By April 1864 the Army had become less effective and had suffered several setbacks. It was disbanded in May 1864 with 104 foreign officers and 2,288 Chinese soldiers being paid off. The bulk of

3312-471: The gainfully employed could be tempted by the prospect of adventure, high pay, and loot" into joining Western-led mercenary endeavours. This weapon, already forged, was used by Ward against the Taipings, with the backing of local Shanghai ministers and merchants, in a highly charged political atmosphere in which the Manchu Imperial forces had no desire to show their reliance upon Western powers. By

3384-581: The hardback (HB) editions does not include glossary or appendix page counts. The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is an encyclopedia for the series about the unnamed world where the plot takes place, which is often referred to by fans of the series as the World of the Wheel . It is published in the United States by Tor Books and in the United Kingdom by Orbit Books . The bulk of

3456-755: The infamous "King of the Filibusters", William Walker , in Mexico, where he learned how to recruit, train, and command mercenary troops. Ward also learned to avoid some of Walker's practices and behaviors. Walker had a reputation for being "excessively vain, weak minded and ambitious… his weakness renders him cruel…" During Ward's later time in China, he displayed respect and concern for the Western and Chinese troops under his command, whom he referred to as "my people". Ward learned about practical warfare during his "filibusteresque" experience in 1854 and when he served as

3528-485: The intimidating power of noise". He even trained them to respond to western bugle calls and verbal commands, and most strikingly, outfitted them in Western-style utility uniforms, color-coded for branch of arms ( infantry or artillery ), with Indian Sepoy -style turbans. This garb, at first distressing to the Chinese troops, earned them the nickname "Imitation Foreign Devils" among the local populace, as well as

3600-400: The loss of a finger to a musket ball. Li Xiucheng, enraged at this foreign irritant, had a force of 20,000 attack Songjiang, defended only by Ward's force of about 1,500 men. Upon approach, rebel forces came under the fire of camouflaged artillery and lost over 2,000 men. Immediately thereafter infantry struck out of the city at the rebels, and cut off and captured another 800, while capturing

3672-513: The many British warships in port. Ward, facing arrest and numerous political difficulties arising from the Western governments' desire to remain neutral, opted to become a Chinese subject, by entering a seemingly rushed marriage with a Chinese woman. In addition, the provincial governor in Shanghai (who happened to be one of Ward's patrons) produced falsified papers (Ward would not become a citizen until February) ostensibly proving his Chinese citizenship. These papers were seemingly convincing enough that

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3744-404: The next town from Sung-chiang on the approaches to Shanghai, and this time the Taiping were prepared. As the Corps stormed a garrison wall, Taiping forces lying in ambush waited for the optimum moment and then delivered a withering barrage of close-range musket fire. Within 10 minutes, the Foreign Arms Corps had suffered 50% casualties, and Ward himself was shot in the left jaw, with an exit wound in

3816-524: The region. Clearly, mobility was needed for Ward's limited forces, but the road system was inadequate. While another commander might have tried to solve the problem through additional wagons and horses, Ward saw the rivers and canals criss-crossing the region not as obstacles, but as passageways. He quickly secured the use of several river steamers, fitted them out as mobile artillery and troop transports, and increased his army's effectiveness several times over. Li Xiucheng himself later "attributed his defeats in

3888-504: The right cheek, scarring him for life and leaving him with a speech impediment. The force retreated and Ward returned to Shanghai for medical treatment and to attempt to recruit more forces and buy additional artillery. Within several days he and the remnants of the Foreign Arms Corps laid siege to Chingpu and bombarded it with artillery. By this time, the Taiping's best military leader Li Xiucheng (李秀成), called Zhong Wang (忠王) or "The Faithful King", dispatched 20,000 troops downriver to break

3960-529: The same time chartered the steamer Hong Kong to accompany Ward into the north and to return the remains of Ye Mingchen 's for interment in Canton , 13 May 1859. According to a contemporary account written in early 1862, Ward and his brother arrived in Shanghai , China in 1860 for the purpose of trading, perhaps as an extension of their father's New York office. This may be true, but given Ward's activities in

4032-438: The same token, the diplomats and military men of the Western powers discouraged foreign involvement in domestic Chinese matters, even by Westerners in Chinese employ. The Western powers' concerns did not relate to principle; they were most concerned about the power of the Taipings to block trade downriver from the interior to Shanghai if neutrality were violated. By June 1860, Ward had a polyglot force of 100 Westerners, trained in

4104-556: The siege, sending the Foreign Arms Corps fleeing back to the Songjiang area, where Ward's second-in-command, Henry Andres Burgevine (another American fortune seeker), held the Corps briefly together, but it soon "ceased to function as an organized entity". Ward returned to Shanghai for further treatment of his injury, and was there while the Zhong Wang's forces laid siege, and were beaten back by Western and Imperial forces within

4176-548: The strange attire, military skill and foreign leadership of their own countrymen, wavered and "were filled with dismay and fled precipitately. In February, again facing Taiping forces moving near his training area, Ward took five hundred troops and in joint operations with local Imperial commanders, drove the rebels from Yinchipeng, Chenshan, Tianmashan, and other areas around Songjiang. In the course of these actions against superior numbers, thousands of Taiping were killed or wounded, while Ward himself suffered five wounds, including

4248-444: The text was written by Teresa Patterson based on notes and information provided by Jordan, who also served as the overall editor on the project. While the information in the guide is broadly canonical, the book is deliberately written with vague, biased, or even downright false (or guessed) information in places, as Patterson felt this would reflect a key theme of the series (the mutability of knowledge across time and distance). Jordan

4320-417: The thoroughly defeated force back to Shanghai. However, by mid-July, Ward had recruited additional Westerners and over 80 Filipino "Manilamen", and purchased several artillery pieces, and once again, his forces assaulted Sung-Chiang (松江). They were successful, but at enormous cost. Out of a force of roughly 250 men, 62 were killed, and 100 were wounded, including Ward himself. Ward and his forces now gained

4392-544: The time-travel novel This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone , the character Red refers to Blue and the Ever Victorious Army burning down a palace. Frederick Townsend Ward Frederick Townsend Ward ( Chinese : 華飛烈 ; November 29, 1831 – September 22, 1862) was an American sailor and mercenary known for his military service in Imperial China during

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4464-428: The top, full of purple prose , and in a weak moment I agreed to do five more and the novelization of the second Conan movie. I've decided that those things were very good discipline for me. I had to work with a character and a world that had already been created and yet find a way to say something new about the character and the world. That was a very good exercise. They were packed into two separate volumes par Conan

4536-619: The training while Ward was recuperating, having been inspired by the sight of a Chinese gun crew acting under French direction. Perhaps another factor in the reconsideration of local Chinese troops was the changing mood of the local peasantry. Where before they had been unwilling to fight for Manchu primacy, they were now constantly threatened and in some cases occupied by Taiping forces that were, despite their "heavenly" origin, ruthless in their treatment of local populations. Indeed, in many cases informal militias were formed to drive Taiping forces out, and conduct guerilla operations. Regardless of

4608-697: The whole a valuable officer. On the Hamilton , Ward sailed from New York to Hong Kong in 1847, but probably saw little beyond the port city because the Qing dynasty forbade foreigners from venturing inland ( Hong Kong Island had become a British Crown Colony in 1842, at the end of the First Opium War ). In 1849, Ward enrolled at the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy, now Norwich University in Vermont from 1846 to 1848, where

4680-408: Was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe-collecting. He described himself as a " High church " Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. Politically, he described himself as a " libertarian monarchist ". He lived with his wife, Harriet McDougal , who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books ; she was also Jordan's editor) in

4752-589: Was also responsible for some of the then-unique ideas that forged the Ever Victorious Army). He believed in a more flexible command structure, and that well trained, disciplined, mobile units could defeat larger forces lacking these qualities. Following several early victories, the Qing dynasty officially bestowed the title "Ever Victorious Army" on the corps in March 1862. The new force originally comprised about 200 mostly European mercenaries, enlisted in

4824-459: Was high in part to attract new recruits to dangerous work, but also to compensate for the lack of "looting" opportunity. Ward strongly discouraged looting, as he knew the practice turned local populaces against their "liberators". Other benefits offered to Ward's men included better rations, billets, and of course, better chance of survival in combat. By January 1862, with about one thousand Chinese soldiers trained and ready, Ward stated that his unit

4896-400: Was not to be. The Manchu court, suspicious of Ward from the beginning, grew even more concerned that as time passed, he refused to shave his forehead, wear a queue or even appear in his fine Mandarin robes. These and other comments regarding his ambitions led the court to limit the size of his unit far beneath his potential to recruit for it, and to give Ward far less rein than they would have to

4968-466: Was one of several writers who has written Conan the Barbarian stories. When Tom Doherty obtained the rights, he needed a novel very quickly, so Jordan's wife Harriet McDougal recommended him because she knew he had written his first novel, Warriors of the Altaii , in thirteen days. So he thought I could write something fast, and he was right, and I liked it. It was fun writing something completely over

5040-540: Was ready for the field – much to the relief of his Shanghai backers, particularly Yang Fang, who had significantly invested both government and private funds into the force's recruitment, arms and supplies. This was timely, as within the same month, the Chung Wang's forces reentered that region with over 120,000 troops, in an attempt to first cut off, and then enter and occupy Shanghai. Ward, ever hungry for glory and no doubt seeking redress for his facial injury, welcomed

5112-848: Was the Hyson , which was 90 feet long and carried a 32-pounder gun as well as a 12-pounder howitzer. According to the North China Herald , the Bodyguard wore blue uniforms with scarlet facings and green shoulder straps bearing unit identification in Chinese characters. Artillerymen wore light blue uniforms with red facings and trouser stripes. Infantry wore dark green in winter dress with red facings and shoulder straps in regimental colours. In summer all branches wore white uniforms with scarlet facings. All units wore green turbans. Gordon's stringent discipline led to an increase in desertions and several small scale mutinies. Accordingly, by June 1863

5184-527: Was the last major engagement of the Foreign Arms Corps in its "primarily Western" configuration. Judgments as to the effectiveness of the Foreign Army Corps vary depending upon the sympathies of the author. The most recent Ward biographer, Caleb Carr , seems fairly generous in his estimation of Ward's accomplishments in his 1992 work. However, perhaps the most authoritative judgment was rendered by Richard J. Smith, who stated: Repeatedly sent into

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