Anaxagoras
Banned
The "Ever Victorious Army" was a force of Chinese soldiers trained and led by European and American officers to fight the Taiping rebels. It numbered between 2,000 and 5,000 men at different times. After the death of its original commander, the American Frederick Ward, the Imperial Court asked the British to appoint a new commander.
Charles Gordon, mystical, fervently religious and perhaps slightly mad, was chosen. He led the Ever Victorious Army on a series of lightning campaigns that defeated Taiping forces of vastly greater numbers and played a crucial role in defeating the Taiping Rebellion. In doing so, he became famous as "Chinese" Gordon and went on to his amazing and ultimately tragic career in the Sudan.
However, another officer was considered for the command: Garnet Wolseley. The man who would, IOTL, go on to brilliantly lead many of the most famous campaigns of the Victorian army was a military leader of the highest order and one of the most brilliant minds of military logistics to have ever lived.
What consequences might there have been had Wolseley, rather than Gordon, been given the command?
Charles Gordon, mystical, fervently religious and perhaps slightly mad, was chosen. He led the Ever Victorious Army on a series of lightning campaigns that defeated Taiping forces of vastly greater numbers and played a crucial role in defeating the Taiping Rebellion. In doing so, he became famous as "Chinese" Gordon and went on to his amazing and ultimately tragic career in the Sudan.
However, another officer was considered for the command: Garnet Wolseley. The man who would, IOTL, go on to brilliantly lead many of the most famous campaigns of the Victorian army was a military leader of the highest order and one of the most brilliant minds of military logistics to have ever lived.
What consequences might there have been had Wolseley, rather than Gordon, been given the command?