s gates. Bad
weather prevented operations the next day, but on 1st May, Gordon
having satisfied himself by personal examination that the western gate
offered the best point of attack, began the bombardment soon after
daybreak. Two stone stockades in front of the gate had first to be
carried, and these, after twenty minutes' firing, were evacuated on
part of Gordon's force threatening the retreat of their garrison back
to the town. The capture of these stockades began and ended the
operations on that day. The next morning Gordon stationed one regiment
in front of the north gate to cut off the retreat of the garrison in
that direction, and then resumed his main attack on the west gate. By
this time he had been joined by some of his gunboats, and their fire,
aided by the artillery he had with him, gradually made a good
impression on the wall, especially after the guns had been drawn as
near as 200 yards to it. The breach was then deemed sufficiently
practicable; the gunboats went up the creek as near the walls as
possible, and the two regiments advanced to the assault. The Taepings
fought desperately in the breach itself, and no progress was made. It
is probable that a reverse would have followed had not the howitzers
continued to throw shells over the wall, thus inflicting heavy losses
on the Taepings, who swarmed in their thousands behind. At that
critical moment Gordon directed another regiment to escalade the wall
at a point which the Taepings had left unguarded, and the appearance
of these fresh troops on their flank at once decided the day, and
induced the Taeping leaders to order a retreat. The Taepings lost
heavily, but the loss of the Ever Victorious Army was in proportion
equally great. The latter had twenty men killed and 142 wounded, one
European officer killed and six wounded. But the capture of Taitsan
under all the circumstances was an exceptionally brilliant and
decisive affair. With it may be said to have begun the military
reputation of the young commander, whose admirable dispositions had
retrieved a great disaster and inflicted a rude blow on the confidence
of a daring enemy.

From Taitsan he marched to Quinsan; but his force was not yet
thoroughly in hand, and wished to return to Sungkiang, in accordance
with their practice under Ward of spending their pay and prize-money
after any successful affair before attempting another. Gordon yielded
on this occasion the more easily because he was impressed by