The Taiping Rebellion of 1850s-60s China was almost unknown in the west but the bloodiest conflict in history until World War II. Estimates range from 30 to 50 million dead. It is said some parts of China took virtually a century to recover from the devastation to the land and loss of life. Though taking place around the same time as our American Civil War, its scale dwarfed our own much better known conflict. To this day, it remains mysterious or simply ignored.

This is a wargaming article not a history journal, so I will just try to give a brief background to what was a long complex war.

A young Chinese scholar, Hung Hsiu-chluan (I'm going to use the oldfashioned Chinese spellings not the current ones), failed to pass entrance exams into the Imperial bureaucracy and fell sick with fever. He then started preaching a new sort of religion which utilized some Christian concepts he had been exposed to and his own views/sickbed visions. He saw himself as the younger brother of Jesus Christ sent by the Father to change China into paradise on earth. He was very charismatic and built up quite a sizeable following despite (or maybe because) challenging the status quo of Chinese government and moral belief systems. Poor peasants, bandits, and rebels of many other factions all joined in a common effort to end the Ching or Manchu dynasty then ruling ... er ... misruling China.

The early Taipings were very strictly organized and controlled but apparently quite harmonious. They had many strengths going for them enthusiasm, discipline, comradeship, and beliefs in no more slavery, improving the status of women, and ending the scourge of the opium trade imposed on China by Britain. One of its biggest drawing points was that it would overthrow the alien Manchus who ruled the Han Chinese people (Manchu tribes from Manchuria had conquered Ming China a long time earlier).

At first the Taipings fought with the fanatical fervor many young revolutions generate and defeated the numerous but oft-pathetic government armies. Then, as the years dragged on and the revolution lost momentum, the leadership especially at the very top with Hung degenerated and the movement fell into many vices it formally condemned. And while the Taipings softened the government military effort improved with conservative Chinese gentry raising better armies to defeat the radical Taipings.

From its declared capital, Nanking, Hung set up the Taiping kingdom and lived a life of debauchery with dozens of concubines and opium. Most historians feel he became completely insane and detached from reality. He cared little about the day to day government and life and death struggle between the Taipings and the government.

The rest of the top Taipings, called Wangs or Kings, varied greatly in quality and often did not get along. At one point the 2nd ranking Wang seemed ready to supercede Hung and was then killed along with thousands of his supporters in a bloody nightlong massacre by another Wang who probably had Hungs blessing to act. But he overstepped all bounds with the mass killings and even killed the family of another major Wang. This man brought his own army to seek vengeance and wiped the murderer out along with thousands more. At least 20,000 Taipings perished in Nanking alone in the bloody infighting. The movement never recovered.

Gradually the Manchu (Ching) Imperial government gained the upper hand in the bloody year by year campaigns despite their own mismanagement. New Chinese armies appeared to replace the Ching rabble under native Chinese leaders these men were only reluctantly trusted by the court and in fact, proved to be the forerunners of the Chinese warlords who so dominated China until the Communist takeover in the late 1940s.

Hung died just as his surrounded capital was about to fall, either of illness or overdose or poisoning. Over 100,000 died when Nanking fell in a final storming by the Manchu armies. The shattered remnants of the rebels took a number of further years to be eventually hunted down in several major and minor campaigns.

This war had everything -- massed armies of mixed quality colorfully garbed soldiers, major field battles, numerous sieges and stormings, riverine battles with large fleets of ships, Western mercenaries (more on them later) and European interventions, many great personalities among the leaders of both sides, intzigue, treachery, equipment from steamboats and repeating rifles to crossbows and swords/spears, and even more!

The British glossy Wargames Illustrated, got my curiousity perked some years back with a two part article and even now run occasional articles on the various armies. They are excellentl I have since researched quite a bit and read many books on the subject. I own several available books on the war. I will say at first the strange names are somewhat daunting (those who read War and Peace know what I mean) but once I got into it, the war is fascinating and the people and personalities inspiring fro wargames. For those interested see the source list at the end of this article.

As far as availablity of figures there are several miniatures firms which have Boxer Rebellion ranges in 15mm, 20mm, and 25mm -- these can be used BUT in 25mm there is Wargames Foundry which does a China range that specifically deals with the Taipings and their enemies. What can I say about WF that Hal and other wargamers reviewing their figs haven't already said? They have 100+ figs to this range and they are just magnificent.

Right from the start I've collected my Chinese forces from just this company alone; they have everything I want so I don't even need to mix in figs of other companies. Brookhurst Hobbies out of California gives fast mail order service and I've heard the Foundry itself in England has good mail order.

Leaders, cavalry, infantry, artillery, all are covered. My own collection now numbers 400+ painted and more to be painted as I periodically add on to it. All I can say is, "Thank you, Wargames Foundry."

For painting info the British glossy articles are very helpful and Osprey has a Men-at-Arms series book out. The armies wore very colorful costumes with lots of variety and they look wild on the tabletop. The Chinese loved flags and had lots of them in many shapes and colors.

In my next article I will take a stab at telling more details about the Taipings, Imperialists, and the Ever Victorious Army (western mercenary force started by Frederick Ward, an American; though Charles Gordon of Khartoum fame ran it by the end and gets more historical coverage).

Here's a list of sources for Taiping Rebellion Info

Wargames Illustrated:

Issue #46-47 Brief overview of history, uniforms, tactics, equipment, etc. #72-73 Two parts on the Ever Victorious Army
#83 A look at unusual Chinese weaponry such as repeating crossbows, stinkpots, and jingals.
#? An article on other so-called "foreign" units but I can't locate the issue.
#98 Tigermen - Imperialist skirmish units.
#99-100 Two parts on the Taiping army organization, uniforms, etc. Color drawings. #101 Addendum to above two parter.

Strategy and Tactics Magazine
#116 Manchu: The Taiping Rebellion - The boardgame enclosed has a neat strategic map which could be used for miniatures campaigns.

Savage and Soldier Mag:
Vol. XX No. 2 & 3 1988 -- Two part history of the war with detailed maps.

Books:
The Devil Soldier by Caleb Carr - The story of Frederick Ward who started the Ever Victorious Army.
The Ever Victorious Army by Andrew Wilson -- Written in 1868 -- it has a list of every single officer who served in the army and what happened to them during the battles.

Any quality library (I found some in a college library) should have some books on the history of the rebellion. There is a huge two volume one written by a Chinese gentlemen that was detailed and very well written but unfortunately I don't remember his name.