Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-25
ROMANCE IS RECALLED.
Foster Inquiry Brings Out Wards
Military Record.

Military Record.
One of the greatest of military ro-
mances is suggested by the action of
the committee on expenditures in the
state department in looking into the
transaction whereby about $36S,O0O
was paid to John w. Foster, former
secretary of state, for himself and the
heirs Of Gen. Frederick Townsend
Ward, the hero Of the TAPPING rebel
lion.
In the newspaper dispatches the
word general" has been placed In
quotation marks, and this gallant
commander has been alluded to as a
Soldier Of fortune" That he may
have been in one sense is true, but in
the sense that he rendered a great yet
helpless country the most inestimable
of services he is entitled to rank
among the great commanders of his
time.
Frederick Townsend Ward was born
in Salem, Mass, in 1881. He became
a ship broker in New York, but ap-
peared to begin his career Of world
wide fame in Shanghai in 1860. The
TAPPING rebellion had broken out and
Ward went to the government with
the proposition that if the government
would give him $40, 900 he would cap
ture the town of Sun Kiang, near
Shanghai. then held by the rebels
The money was promised, and in a
short time he gathered together a
miscellaneous band of two hundred
foreigners and with them went out
and overthrow five thousand rebels.
He received his $4,000 and was
made a mandarin of the fourth class.
Ward was at first distrusted by the
British officers in command of Shang-
hal, but finally was permitted to CO.
operate with them and through his
energy succeeded in clearing up the
country for forty miles or more
around the city.
He disappeared completely from
sight for a time, and turned up again
at the head of three Chinese regl-
ments He took the field again, his
army was augmented from day to day
and he won a succession Of victories
which made him a mandarin Of the
first class, and gave him the remark
able title of admiral general-the
highest the grateful Chinese could be-
stow on him.
The civil was had then broken out
in the United States and Ward is re-
ported to have offered Secretary Bur
lingame $4,000 for the Union cause,
and to have prepared to start home.
But he was shot in 1862, and the Chi
nese not only built a monument over
his grave, but memorialiZed in stone
the scenes of several of his victories
Probably because of his intention to
come to the United States he had con-
verted his fortune, whatever 1t was
into drafts and negotiable securities
They were on his person when he was
killed, and are supposed to have been
stolen by an Englishman. However
that may be, his family in the United
States-he had married a Chinese
wife, but had no children-never re-
ceived a copper for his services.
The army which Ward had created
was then taken by Chinese Gordon. y
who, after several years of fighting
put down the rebellion and achieved
international fame. 1t was Gordon
who reaped the glory, but Ward who
laid the foundation.
When the Boxer indemnity was
paid the United States by the Chinese
government many claims besides those
strictly appertaining to the Boxer up
rising were included in the awards
Among them was this $36S,000 fol
the heirs of General Frederick Town
send Ward.