Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-03-05
GENERAL WARD.
The Man Whose Successes IN China
Smoothed "Chincse" Gordon's Way.

The Man Whose Successes IN China
smoothed "Chinese'' Gordon's Way.
In this paper l have tried to make no
statement which is not susceptible of
proof by documents or living witnesses.
Such support 1 have not for the asser-
ton. which I nevertheless believe to be
strictly true, that Gordon, who had
served his time in the staff with Ward,
and greatly admired him, declared, on
succeeding him in command, that he
chad but to follow where the American
soldier had led" Whether he said so
or not. however, that is what he did
The creator and the first great COM
mander of the ever victorious army was
Frederic I. Ward. That he would have
taken Nankin and speedily crushed the
Tapping rebellion is beyond all ques-
ton; and he left to Gordon u task far
easier than that which he had himself
accomplished.
1t is difficult to withhold praise from
brave deeds, even if we be not wholly
in sympathy with the cause in which
they are done. While dwelling upon
the striking and dramatic character of
Wards achievements, and having only
admiration for the many excellent traits
of his character. a conscientious histo-
rian must guard himself from approval,
SEXUAL or implied. of the entry of any
r%ight-mindcd and self-rcspccting for
elgncr into the Chinese naval or mill
tary service. To this day we maintain
the .'ex-territorial jurisdiction lin that
country, because no one would dream of
trusting the lives d. liberties of Amer
leans to the mercies of Cinnamon, even
in time of peace. How much more
dreadful must it be to have part or lot
with them in time of war! Both Ward
and Gordon were brave, and in a way
great men; but in China they were en-
gagged in q miserable business, and we
must like and praise them in spite of
this business, not on account of it. They
waded to their ends through the blood
of thousands of men who had done them
no harm, and whom no sentiment of
patriotism nor love of liberty impellcd
them to oppose. They were associated,
too, with imperialist authorities and
forces, for whose evil deeds they were of
course not responsible, but who were
sorry allies for honorable men. The
story has been told of the cruel murder
OF the Wongs, or rebel chiefs, who had
surrendered to Gordon under his pledge
that their lives should be spared, and Of
his rage and despair thercat. This was
but an isolated case; and so horrible
were the atrocities connected with the
suppression of the rebellion that one
must shrink from pursuing the subject.
During the late Franco-C Chinese war I
was more than one panied to hear men
who ought to know better talk about
seeking service under the dragon flag.
This is no place in which to say the very
much that mightb be said as to the wretch
edness Of such service, and the pirates
fate which they would court. and very
probably meet, when cncountering afor-
cign foe: but they might take q lesson
from the history Of Ward. No one in
ten thousand of them could at all ap-
proach him in military genius, in cour-
age and in resources, or do anything
like what he did. Yet the rebels took
his life, the imperialis.s took his money
and Gordon's biographers took his fame.
n. q. Hayes, iii atlantic.