Always Victorious Army
The Always Victorious Army was a military unit created to defend Shanghai against the Taiping Rebellion . The army was built up by the mercenary and adventurer Frederick Townsend Ward . It was organized and armed according to Western standards. The officers were European or US-Americans, the soldiers of the unit were locally recruited Chinese. Under the British commander Charles George Gordon , there was a rift with the military leadership of the Qing Dynasty under Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang , which led to the end of Western military aid to the empire. The unit was disbanded before the conquest of the Taiping capital Nanjing .
At the height of their deployment, the unit consisted of around 4,000 men. In addition to infantry, it also included artillery and a group of river steamers.
History and structure
In 1860, the Taiping-controlled area expanded into southern China. Both the European merchants and the local elite in Shanghai saw this as a threat and made military preparations to fend off an attack on the city. The banker Yang Fang hired the US Adventure Ward to build a western-style military unit that was loyal to the city's notables. The army's role and its operational area should be limited to Shanghai and the surrounding area. Ward had tried unsuccessfully to set up a militia made up of deserted Western soldiers and sailors. His new attempt was characterized by Chinese soldiers who were commanded by European and US officers who were in Shanghai as soldiers of fortune. Ward equipped the army with western uniforms in different colors for infantry and artillery. The soldiers were made with Enfield Rifled Muskets , as well as English and Prussian weapons. The unit's command language was English. The main focus was on the tactics of the light infantry . Ward brought his brother to China, who was a metal caster who cast guns. His brother also tried to buy a US warship, but had to be content with a fleet of smaller river ships imported from the USA.
Use in the Taiping Rebellion
In February 1862, the unit fought its first battle in the conquest of Songjiang and prevailed against 20,000 Taiping rebels. According to its own statements, the army killed 2,000 rebels and took 700 prisoners. Two days later, Ward's soldiers captured a strategic hill on the way to Qingpu . The unit, which was established as the Foreign Military Division , was given the title Always Victorious Army by the governor of Jiangsu Province . After the first fighting, she was subordinated to the daotai of Shanghai Wu Xu . In March, Ward married a daughter of his financier, Yang Fang . His troops also received the attention of the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Forces in Shanghai, Admiral James Hope , who agreed an alliance against the Taiping with Ward. In April 1862, Li Hongzhang landed with other Qing troops in Shanghai. With the command of the army of Shanghai loyal to the emperor, he also took command of the Always Victorious Army . In the spring of 1862, the Always Victorious Army advanced on Qingpu with around 4,000 soldiers and conquered the city with the help of other Qing troops. A counterattack by Li Xiucheng on Songjiang caused Ward to return to the city with 2500 men, which he was able to defend successfully. At the same time, however, the remaining 1,500 men were locked in Qingpu. The commander he appointed was taken prisoner of war and had to be ransomed by LI Hongzhang. In September 1862, Ward died in Ningpo after being shot in the stomach in battle. He was succeeded by the American Henry Andres Burgevine . During the fall, the unit recaptured several small towns in Jiangsu. Li Hongzhang, however, ordered Burgevine to march his troops to Nanjing in support of the besiegers. Burgevine responded with a raid on Yang Fang's property, in which he stole a large amount of money and physically attacked Yang Fang. This was followed by his desertion to the rebels, which he left after a short stay.
In the meantime, a British officer named Holland commanded the unit. However, he was removed from service because of incompetence. Eventually, engineer officer Charles Gordon was posted to command the unit. When he joined the Always Victorious Army in March 1863, 3,000 Chinese soldiers with 30 guns and two river steamers. Gordon worked well with Li Hongzhang and his best troop leader Cheng Xueqi . Together with the Qing troops, the Always Victorious Army was able to recapture large parts of Jiangsu Province. Gordon also obtained an amnesty for the deserter Burgevine. In the process, Li Hongzhang planned the deployment of the army towards Nanjing. In the Battle of Suzhou, Li used a ruse in which the Taiping officers killed their general and surrendered the city. However, Li executed the traitors after they played the city into his hands. This and the atrocities carried out by the Qing Army against the rebels and the local population resulted in diplomatic protests and Gordon's withdrawal from his command. The army was finally disbanded before Nanjing was conquered.
Photos from 1860 are the oldest photographs of soldiers from China and show troops of the Always Victorious Army .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012, pp. 265-270
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012 pp. 265-270
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012 p. 272
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012 p. 285f
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012, pp. 314-319
- ↑ Stephen R. Platt: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom - China the West and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. New York, 2012, pp. 319-346
- ↑ Jonathan D. Spence: God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. New York, 1996, pp. 312f