The Devil Soldier : The American Soldier of Fortune Who Became a God in China (Paperback)

from datrappert

Carr tells the unlikely story of an American in 1850s China who finds himself leading the defense of the city of Shanghai against the Taipings. This was almost the basis for a Tom Cruise movie, but he decided to go with the Last Samurai instead. I won't recommend this for a general audience, but ...

from jcbrunner

"Chinese" Gordon and the Ever Victorious Army will be familiar names to anyone interested in colonial military history. The American who created the Ever Victorious Army is mostly unknown. This biography helps to lift Frederick T Ward out of obscurity. An adventurer who served in the Crimean War ...

from jztemple

This is the interesting story of someone that is practically unknown to the modern reader. He was an American sailor and adventurer who, in the most well known of his rather unknown exploits, assembled a force of several thousand Chinese soldiers, taught them a Western style of warfare and helped...

from autumnesf

This book is about an American that became a Chinese citizen and Mandarin and commanded a military force in China during the Taiping Rebellion. It was interesting to read as the Chinese were so anti-foreigner and it surprises me that he was allowed to do all that he did. Unfortunatley, the story ...

from ladycato

My reaction to this is mixed. First of all, that subtitle "The American Soldier of Fortune Who Became a God in China" is horribly cringe-worthy and misleading, and is contradicted by the explanation within the book. The publisher should not have used such a sensational subtitle. The events here a...