Frederick Townsend Ward was an American sailor and soldier of fortune known for his military service in Imperial China during the Taiping Rebellion.

The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted for 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of Nanjing—which they had renamed "Tianjing"—in 1864. However, the last rebel forces were not defeated until August 1871. Estimates of the conflict's death toll range between 20 and 30 million people, representing 5–10% of China's population. While the Qing ultimately defeated the rebellion, the victory came at a great cost to the state's economic and political viability.