Biography

Frederick Townsend Ward was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Frederick Gamaliel Ward and Elizabeth Colburn Spencer. Ward served as a Lieutenant in the French Army during the Crimean War. He then traveled to China where he rose in the ranks of the Chinese army, organizing foreign mercenaries to protect the city of Shanghai in 1860 during the Taiping Rebellion. Ward's troops became famous for their streak of luck on the battlefield, earning them the title of the "Ever Victorious Army." Ward integrated into Chinese life adopting the Chinese name Hwa and marrying a Chinese national by the name of Chang Mei Yang. He died in service to Emperor Tongzhi in 1862 and was buried with honor in Ningbo, China. George Frederick Seward references his death in a letter to his uncle, Secretary of State, William H. Seward dated March 07, 1863.