Evening star., 1951-05-13

llc UOUhcQ pdSSdBc 1OI O1ldI1SIld1
A businessman and diplomat as
well as military geninus, Ward
signed a contract with the mer-
chant princes of Shanghai and
with the Manchu government to
raise and train a modern army
to defend the rich port Of Shang-
hal and to recapture the great
cities held by the Taipings. For
these services he was to receive
| SIS, 900 per city retaken. His con-
tract contained the proviso that
his men. If victorious. should be
permitted to loot for a day.
To the English and French
whose gunboats stood In the har-
bor to protect their interests in
the treaty ports. Wards plan was
absurd, preposterous. doomed to
failure. The Taipings were too
well led and too numerous. These
English and French laughed at this
youthful American soldier who
self confidently proposed to mod
ernize the Chinese soldiers.
Started a Foreign Legion
Ward began recruiting his army
"a sort of foreign legion-from
the soldiers fortune who, like
himself, were drawn to Shanghai
| by the faroff echo of gunf1re;
from veterans of European armies
who had drifted to the Far East;
from beachcombers, fugitives from
Justice, the very scum Of the
Orient; from Chinese boys for
whom he had a magic appeal
His plan was, gradually, to create
an ALL Chinese Army built around
backbone of his foreign legion,
and this was precisely what he
did.
The yellow youth fiocked to his
banners. His slim, white-helmeted
figure became the symbol Of vic
tory. He sent to America for arms
and taught the Chinese how to use
them. He gave his army a motto
I"Cold Steel" Imbued with the
idea that hand-to-hand fighting
was the way to victory over the
Taipings, he trained his men ac-
cordingly. It was a new experience
for the Chinese. but they took it.
Discipline and intensive training
brought his army to a keen fight
ing edge. Morale ran high. Fear
less, he inspired his men to be
| likewise. His chief of staff was
another American. Gen. Edward
Forester, who followed Ward to
the end.
Then, with a trained army. he
launched q whirlwind campaign
that swept the astonished Tai
pings off their feet and ultimately
raised Ward to the status of a
god.
Led the Attack
For his first point of attack,
Ward elected to recapture the
city of Sunkiang. one of the seven
sacred cities of China. whose cap
ture and desecration by the Tai
pings had sent a thrill of horror
Through the empire. This city,
with walls Is feet high and 5 feet
thick. was no easy nut to crack,
but Ward and his men slipped
across the rice fields at dawn and
struck. Ward himself raced ahead
OF his men with a bag of powder,
placed 1t beside the main gate and
lit the fuse. The explosion blew
the gate open enough to admit
only one man at a time. Ward
was the first to go through. Be-
hind him came his men with
bayonets.
For "a hours he and his men
battled 5000 rebels around the
main gate. but the city was taken
and Sunkiang was again an i'm
lperial city.
From that moment Ward was a
power and hero in China. He was
acclaimed as savior of the sacred
city. To the $4,000 he received
as per his contract for the cap
Iture of the city, the merchants OF
Shanghai added a splendid estate
Million Dollars on His Head
Thus. Ward launched his amaz-
ling victory march. He sent flying
columns here, there, everywhere
striking the astonished Taipings
with surprise attacks that gave
them no let-up. He used every
trick then known plus few i'm
'lprovisations Of his own. He ran
,Iup a string of victories that even
he had never dreamed of. The
ITaipings placed million dollar
;Iorder for his head. Once they
surrounded him and it seemed as
|if there was no way out. The rebel
,lgeneral even consulted his officers
Ito devise new methods Of torture
Ito be employed on Ward, who out
;lwitted his 'would-be torturers by
striking their lines at the weakest
point and fighting his way back te
,IShanghai.
/ Ward piled one incredible ex.
lploit on another. He seemed tt
bear a charmed life. After hi,
first victory at Sunkiang he wen
Ito battle armed only with a rattan
Icane, a custom. incidentally, which
was followed by Chinese" Cor.
Idon, who succeeded him. Ward
army, emboldened by success. be.
sllieved he was q supernatural lead
,ler. They followed him fanati.
llcally.
| Now the Emperor bestowed th'
.|empire's highest honor on thi
lighting American. He was ere