Born in Salem, Massachusetts on November 29, 1831, Ward had been steeped in the maritime culture of his hometown since childhood. Under the influence of his father’s shipping business, Ward started his career as a seaman. From 1847 to 1852, he served onboard four ships, traveling around the U.S., China and Central and South America. In fall 1859, Ward arrived in Shanghai, a place that had changed from a small fishing village to a cosmopolitan city due to the rise of Western powers after the First Opium War (1840-1842) between China and Britain.

Europeans and Americans started to live and establish businesses in Shanghai, such as those depicted in this painting by the Chinese artist Chow-Kwa, who adopted the techniques and style of Western oil painting.

During Ward’s global adventure in the 1850s, a rebellion in China threatened the stability of the Qing empire and presented an opportunity for Ward. Hong Xiuquan (1814-1864) declared himself the younger brother of Jesus Christ and integrated Christian beliefs into the ideology of his regime. Aiming to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish an egalitarian utopia, the Taiping Rebellion quickly attracted those dissatisfied with their economic and social life and swept across Southeast China. Shanghai’s wealth made it a target for rebel attack, which heightened the fears of upper-class Chinese and Western residents.

The Qing army’s military power was inadequate to suppress the rebellion, forcing the Shanghai elite — merchants, gentry, foreign administrators — to gather all resources for self-protection. Ward arrived in Shanghai almost penniless and started working as a mercenary to make a living. He persuaded Wu Xu, the magistrate of Shanghai, and Yang Fang, a Shanghai banker who also held the title of magistrate, to fund him to reclaim nearby towns by force. With this official support, Ward recruited and equipped a troop called the Foreign Arms Corps that included both foreign and Chinese soldiers. Some early failures in battle cost him Yang Fang’s trust, but a final victory in Qingpu in 1862 earned his army the name “Devil Soldiers” among the rebels. The Foreign Arms Corps was later renamed the “Ever Victorious Army.” Ward himself became a Chinese citizen and took a Chinese name based on the pronunciation of his family name, which he used on his banner flag — a tradition of Chinese military leaders.

Along with his military role in China, Ward also forged new personal relationships. He married a Chinese woman, whose name only survives through English records as Chang-mei. His connections with Chinese officials also expanded beyond Shanghai. He warned Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), the commander of a key Chinese militia, about the rebels’ plan of purchasing gunboats from the U.S. With this information, Li was able to protest to the U.S. Envoy. Li later also tried to purchase American gunboats for the Chinese government through Ward’s brother Henry. Because of Ward’s pursuits in China, the extended Ward family in Salem also gradually increased their interactions with different players in China.