Ward.

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The White Messiah - - Frederick Townsend Ward.

Before there was Gordon there was Ward!!

"Frederick Townsend Ward . . . an American sailor, mercenary, and soldier of fortune famous for his military victories for Imperial China during the Taiping Rebellion."

Frederick Townsend Ward - - American soldier of fortune, the man who organized and created the "Ever Victorious" army that "Chinese" Gordon led to victory during the Taiping Rebellion.




The story of Ward as recounted in the wiki entry one of the most amazing military adventures of all time. Without a doubt!

Ward, a man with only very limited military education and experience, able to organize, train, plan, and lead into battle with great bravery on numerous occasions a polyglot "army" of his own creation, a mix of "Europeans", Americans and Chinese nationals. A military force allied with the Chinese Emperor and in opposition to the Taiping rebels.

A "natural soldier", an outstanding leader in a way few ever are, just having an intuition, an initiative, a sound mind and thought process, able to analyze a situation and formulate a solution in a manner almost without peer. And a very courageous man, highly admired by this troops, prior to his battlefield death the man wounded no less than fourteen [14] times in battle - - unheard of!

Possessing that intuition of greatness - - realizing that the military science as taught at the time was inappropriate when faced with modern weaponry [the rifled musket], adjusting his tactics and operational art appropriately, and too a man with a whole lot of moxie!

"mox·ie - –noun 1. vigor; verve; pep. 2. courage and aggressiveness; nerve. 3. skill; know-how."

Ward meeting a "glorious" end on the battlefield, succeeded in command by Gordon. That army as organized by Ward an able force PERHAPS THE FIRST INSTANCE OF WHERE CHINESE TROOPS WERE ORGANIZED AND TRAINED IN MEANS, METHODS, TACTICS OF MODERN WARFARE! Thanks to Ward, Gordon had at his instantaneous disposal a fighting force of some value!

Ward prior to his death really going "native", becoming a Chinese national [citizen], marrying a Chinese woman and awarded with high rank by the Emperor: [again, a thing almost totally unheard of!]

"Ward himself would be made first a 4th-rank, and then a 3rd-rank mandarin, high honors from the Manchu court for a Barbarian."

In the aftermath of his death, Ward was indeed held in high esteem by the Chinese. So much so that he became deified, as if a god!!

"A MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIER BECOMES A GOD OF THE CHINESE"

“'A wonderful hero from beyond the seas, the fame of whose deserving loyalty reaches round the world, has sprinkled China with his azure blood.' . . . [his] mausoleum soon became a shrine supposed to be invested with miraculous power, and some years after his death he was declared to be a Joss, or God"

Ward not only a messiah figure, but actually became a god!!

Believe it or not!

coolbert.