unted, Ward collected some more Manilla men and renewed the attack.
He succeeded in capturing one of the gates, and in holding it until an
Imperial army of 10,000 men arrived, when the town was carried by
storm. Having thus proved its mettle, Ward's force became very
popular, and it was increased by many fresh recruits, chiefly Greeks
and Italians. It also was strengthened by the addition of some
artillery, two six-pounder and later two eighteen-pounder guns.

The Chinese merchants then offered Ward and his quarter-master
Burgevine a large reward for the capture of Tsingpu; and their legion,
accompanied by a Chinese force of 10,000 men, who were, however, only
to look on while it did the fighting, accordingly marched on that
place. The attack made during the night of 2nd August resulted in a
most disastrous repulse, most of the Europeans being either killed or
wounded, Ward himself receiving a severe wound in the jaw. He renewed
the attack with fresh men and two eighteen-pounders three weeks later;
but after bombarding the place for seven days, he was attacked by the
Taeping hero Chung Wang, and routed, with the loss of his guns and
military stores. It was on this occasion that Chung Wang, following up
his success, and doubly anxious to capture Shanghai because this new
and unexpected force was organised there, attacked that town, and was
only repulsed by the English and French troops who lined its walls.

This reverse at Tsingpu destroyed the reputation of Ward's force, and
for several months he remained discredited and unemployed. In March
1861 he reappeared at Sungkiang, at the head of sixty or seventy
Europeans whom he had recruited for the Imperial cause; but at that
moment the policy of the foreign Consuls had undergone a change in
favour of the Taepings, and Ward was arrested as a disturber of the
peace. Perhaps a more serious offence was that the high pay he offered
and prospect of loot had induced nearly thirty British sailors to
desert their ships. He was released on his claiming that he was a
Chinese subject, and also on his sending orders to his colleague
Burgevine to return the troops they had enlisted. Burgevine thought he
saw in this a chance of personal distinction, and before disbanding
the men he made with them another attack on Tsingpu. This attack, like
its two predecessors, was repulsed with heavy loss, and the original
Ward force was thus finally discredited. It should be borne in mind,
to disting