Last Days of the Taiping Rebellion (cont.)

Last Days of the Taiping Rebellion (cont.)

(This article cont. from here; the mercenaries involved in crushing the Rebellion, including Gordon and Ward, were originally involved with the Walker invasion (see right) in some capacity.

feet high. It was crossed diagonally by two canals; at each of the four entrances through the walls where the canal entered the city was a gate, invariably closed at night and opened before dawn. Moreover, there was a garrison of 4000 Taepings in fancied security within the walls. Ward perfectly understood the time and manner in which the so-called water-gates were opened, and proceeding up the canal with his fifty men in boats, he arrived under the walls of Soonkeong three hours before dawn, and quietly posted his men, fourteen at each gate, excepting at the fourth, where he himself stood with the remaining eight. His orders, previously given to the Malays, were to lie concealed five minutes after the gates were thrown open, so as to insure simultaneous action among the four detachments, and then to rush in with as much noise and tumult as possible; to fire the nearest buildings, to kill all that were met, and to make for the centre of the town, discharging their muskets, and create as great an uproar and panic as possible.

Every thing answered admirably! The gates were opened at the usual hour, and within one or two minutes of each other. Wards orders were followed implicitly, and in less than ten minutes the Taepings, struck with a sudden panic, fled, leaving every thing behind them. Numbers were killed, and those who did escape were glad to do so without arms and even without clothing. A force of Mandarin troops that had been held in readiness, in anticipation of Wards success, were put in charge of the town, and ever after retained it. Ward’s first success was very opportune. The Viceroy soon placed implicit confidence in him, and, quite contrary to the usual Chinese practice in such cases, fulfilled to the letter the promises he had made to reward the captors in the event of the attack on Soonkeong proving successful. From 1000 in less than a year Ward had the force raised to 3000: organized it into regiments and batteries, established a good system of recruiting, secured guarantees for the regular payment of officers and men, and made his little army as efficient and serviceable as a force of that size could possibly be. In frequent encounters with the Taepings Ward was invariably .... Continued here

Back to Corvallis Community Pages