ng that these troops wore an
European costume.

During the summer of 1862, when the heat rendered active operations
impossible, everything was done to increase both the numbers and the
efficiency of the Ever Victorious Army. By the month of July its
strength had been raised to 5000 men, the commissioned officers being
all Europeans except one Chinese, named Wongepoo, who had been given a
commission for special gallantry by Admiral Hope. Ward was in chief
command, and Colonel Forrester and Burgevine were his first and second
lieutenants. When the weather became a little cooler in August, it was
determined to utilise this force for the recapture of Tsingpu, which
was taken at the second assault on the 9th of that month, although not
without heavy loss in officers and men. Six weeks later the important
Taeping position at Tseki, across the Hangchow Bay and not far distant
from Ningpo, was attacked by Ward and a party of English blue-jackets.
The operation was perfectly successful, but Ward was shot in the
stomach and died the next day. His loss was a very considerable one,
for, as Gordon said, "he managed both the force and the mandarins very
ably." Colonel Forrester should have succeeded to the command, but he
declined the post, which then devolved upon Burgevine.

After a brief space the services of Captain Holland of the Royal
Marine Light Infantry were lent to Burgevine in the capacity of Chief
of the staff, and as this was done at the suggestion of the Futai
Li--since famous to Europeans as Li Hung Chang--it did not conduce to
greater harmony between him and Burgevine, for their antagonism had
already become marked. An occasion soon offered to fan this feeling to
a flame. A Chinese army under Li and General Ching advanced to attack
a Taeping position near Tsingpu, at the same time that Burgevine at
the head of his corps assailed it from the other side. The brunt of
the fighting fell on the latter, but when Li issued his bulletin he
claimed all the credit of the victory, and totally ignored Burgevine
and his men. Burgevine did not accept this rebuff meekly, and his
peremptory manner offended the Chinese. The breach was widened by the
distrust many of the Chinese merchants as well as officials felt as to
his loyalty, and soon it was seen that the funds so freely supplied to
Ward would not be forthcoming in his case.

Burgevine's character has been described in the following sentence by
Gordon himself:--

"He w