March 1863 · Jiangsu Province Theater
March 1863
After Frederick Townsend Ward was killed at the Battle of Cixi in September 1862, the Ever Victorious Army — approximately 4,000 Chinese soldiers trained and equipped in Western style — passed under the command of British Royal Engineers officer Charles Gordon. Gordon proved an extraordinary combat commander, leading from the front in a characteristic style — strolling into battle with only a cane, relying on personal presence to steady his troops. Under his command, the EVA captured a series of walled cities around Shanghai in 1863, using coordinated artillery and infantry assaults that the Taiping defenders, fighting with traditional weapons and tactics, could not match. Gordon captured over thirty towns and cities in just over a year.
Commanders