Charles Le Gendre
Encyclopedia
Charles William Joseph Émile Le Gendre (August 26, 1830 – September 1, 1899) was a French-born American general and diplomat, who served as advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Empire of Japan
from 1872 to 1875 and as advisor to Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire from 1890 to 1899.
, France, and educated at the Royal College of Reims
, but he eventually graduated from the University of Paris
. At the age of 24, he married Clara Victoria Mulock, daughter of a well-known New York lawyer, in Brussels
. Soon after their marriage, Le Gendre moved to the United States and became a naturalized citizen.
in the United States in 1861, Le Gendre helped recruit the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was commissioned a major
of that regiment on October 29, 1861. Le Gendre participated in combat in North Carolina, and was present at the capture of Roanoke Island
in 1862. However, he was badly wounded at the Battle of New Bern
, North Carolina on March 14, 1862, where he was cited for his courage.
Despite his injuries, Le Gendre continued with the Army and was promoted to lieutenant colonel
on September 20, 1862. In 1863, he was attached to the 9th Army Corps
, with which he fought in numerous campaigns. He was promoted to colonel
on March 14, 1863 and assumed command of the 51st Regiment under the 9th Corps and participated in the siege and capture of Vicksburg. At the Battle of the Wilderness
in Virginia
on May 6, 1864, while serving under General Ulysses S. Grant
, Le Gendre was again severely injured, this time shot in the face with the bullet taking off his left eye and nose. Although still hospitalized in Annapolis, Maryland
, he helped organize the city's defenses against the last Confederate
raid on the city. He was later transferred to New York, where he helped recruit for the 9th Army Corps. He was honorably discharged on October 4, 1864 and was further given the brevet rank of brigadier general
on March 13, 1865.
, China. He left New York for Liverpool
in July 1866 and traveled overland through Europe and Asia, eventually arriving in Amoy in December 1866. As consul, Le Gendre was in control of five of the Treaty Ports open to foreign commerce in China: Amoy, Keelung
, Taiwanfu
, Tamsui, and Takao
. He worked to suppress the illegal trade in indentured Chinese laborers.
Following the wreck of an American ship Rover and the Rover incident in Taiwan on March 12, 1867 and the subsequent killing of the surviving crew by Taiwanese aborigines
, Le Gendre traveled to Fuzhou
, to persuade the governor generals of Fujian
and Zhejiang provinces to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in Taiwan to resolve the issue. Instead of taking action, the governor general of Fujian gave Le Gendre permission to go to Taiwan himself, and wrote a letter of introduction, asking that the prefect of Taiwan cooperate. Le Gendre commissioned the United States steamer Ashuelot in order to visit the scene of the wreck and to (unsuccessfully) try to get officials in Taiwan to act. After a subsequent failed punitive expedition
carried out by Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell
of the United States Navy
, Le Gendre again returned to Taiwan — this time without any reference to his superiors, to gather more information.
Upon return to south China, Le Gendre managed to persuade the governor general in Fuzhou to send a military force to southern Taiwan. The force, significantly smaller than the 400 to 500 soldiers Le Gendre recommended, was dispatched on July 25, 1867. Le Gendre had requested a gunboat
from Admiral Bell, which was denied, but eventually managed to commission a private warship, the Volunteer. He embarked for Taiwan on September 4, 1867, telling his superiors that he was going purely as a spectator.
Le Gendre quickly assumed de facto command of the mission, which entailed a long and difficult march deep into the mountainous interior of southern Taiwan. Le Gendre negotiated a treaty guaranteeing the safety of shipwrecked American and European sailors with the chief of the aboriginal tribes in the area.
On September 6, 1871 a Ryukyuan ship was wrecked off the coast of Taiwan and its surviving crew murdered in a situation similar to that of Rover. On February 29, 1872, Le Gendre left for Taiwan to attempt to have his treaty extended to cover Japanese sailors as well. The mission was unsuccessful, and Le Gendre also had a falling out with the United States Minister to Beijing.
Soejima Taneomi
as an advisor in both foreign affair and military affairs, becoming the first foreigner employed in a Japanese government post.
Le Gendre participated in the December 1872 diplomatic mission by Soejima to Beijing
. After meeting with only partial success in negotiations, Le Gendre helped organize Japan's Taiwan Expedition of 1874
, which he intended to personally accompany. However, Le Gendre was unexpectedly imprisoned for a brief time at Shanghai
on the orders of the United States Consul-General for deserting the service, and thus never actually made it to Taiwan. In 1875, the Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
, which represents the second highest of eight classes associated with the award. This represented the first time that the Order had been conferred on a non-Japanese recipient. Le Gendre retired later that same year.
Le Gendre remained in Japan until 1890, working in a private capacity as an advisor to Ōkuma Shigenobu
. In March 1890 he left Japan to become an adviser to King Gojong of Korea. He remained in the Korean court until his death of apoplexy
in Seoul
on September 1, 1899. He was buried in the Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery
in Seoul.
Le Gendre was author of Progressive Japan: A Study of the Political and Social Needs of the Empire (1878).
A large portion of his private papers are now in the possession of the Library of Congress
.
, a Daimyo
(大名) regarded as one of the "Four Wise Lords of the bakumatsu". They had a son and two daughters. Their son later became a famous Kabuki
(歌舞伎) actor, Ichimura Uzaemon XV.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
from 1872 to 1875 and as advisor to Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire from 1890 to 1899.
Early life
Le Gendre was born in OullinsOullins
Oullins is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is a suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to it on the southwest.-Notable people:*Lionel Bah - Professional footballer*Féthi Harek - Professional footballer...
, France, and educated at the Royal College of Reims
University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne is a French university, in the Academy of Reims. It was established in 1960 and includes the much older Rheims Faculty of Law, a law school....
, but he eventually graduated from the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. At the age of 24, he married Clara Victoria Mulock, daughter of a well-known New York lawyer, in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Soon after their marriage, Le Gendre moved to the United States and became a naturalized citizen.
Civil War military career
With the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the United States in 1861, Le Gendre helped recruit the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was commissioned a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
of that regiment on October 29, 1861. Le Gendre participated in combat in North Carolina, and was present at the capture of Roanoke Island
Battle of Roanoke Island
The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the Virginia border...
in 1862. However, he was badly wounded at the Battle of New Bern
Battle of New Bern
The Battle of New Bern was fought on 14 March 1862, near the city of New Bern, North Carolina, as part of the Burnside Expedition of the American Civil War. The US Army's Coast Division, led by Brigadier General Ambrose E...
, North Carolina on March 14, 1862, where he was cited for his courage.
Despite his injuries, Le Gendre continued with the Army and was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
on September 20, 1862. In 1863, he was attached to the 9th Army Corps
IX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
, with which he fought in numerous campaigns. He was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
on March 14, 1863 and assumed command of the 51st Regiment under the 9th Corps and participated in the siege and capture of Vicksburg. At the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on May 6, 1864, while serving under General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Le Gendre was again severely injured, this time shot in the face with the bullet taking off his left eye and nose. Although still hospitalized in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, he helped organize the city's defenses against the last Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
raid on the city. He was later transferred to New York, where he helped recruit for the 9th Army Corps. He was honorably discharged on October 4, 1864 and was further given the brevet rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
on March 13, 1865.
Diplomatic career in China
On July 13, 1866, Le Gendre was appointed to be American consul at AmoyXiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
, China. He left New York for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in July 1866 and traveled overland through Europe and Asia, eventually arriving in Amoy in December 1866. As consul, Le Gendre was in control of five of the Treaty Ports open to foreign commerce in China: Amoy, Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
, Taiwanfu
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Tamsui, and Takao
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
. He worked to suppress the illegal trade in indentured Chinese laborers.
Following the wreck of an American ship Rover and the Rover incident in Taiwan on March 12, 1867 and the subsequent killing of the surviving crew by Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
, Le Gendre traveled to Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, to persuade the governor generals of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
and Zhejiang provinces to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in Taiwan to resolve the issue. Instead of taking action, the governor general of Fujian gave Le Gendre permission to go to Taiwan himself, and wrote a letter of introduction, asking that the prefect of Taiwan cooperate. Le Gendre commissioned the United States steamer Ashuelot in order to visit the scene of the wreck and to (unsuccessfully) try to get officials in Taiwan to act. After a subsequent failed punitive expedition
Punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
carried out by Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell
Henry H. Bell
Henry Haywood Bell was an admiral in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:Bell was born in Orange County, North Carolina. Appointed a Midshipman on 4 August 1823, during the next two decades he served afloat in U.S...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Le Gendre again returned to Taiwan — this time without any reference to his superiors, to gather more information.
Upon return to south China, Le Gendre managed to persuade the governor general in Fuzhou to send a military force to southern Taiwan. The force, significantly smaller than the 400 to 500 soldiers Le Gendre recommended, was dispatched on July 25, 1867. Le Gendre had requested a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
from Admiral Bell, which was denied, but eventually managed to commission a private warship, the Volunteer. He embarked for Taiwan on September 4, 1867, telling his superiors that he was going purely as a spectator.
Le Gendre quickly assumed de facto command of the mission, which entailed a long and difficult march deep into the mountainous interior of southern Taiwan. Le Gendre negotiated a treaty guaranteeing the safety of shipwrecked American and European sailors with the chief of the aboriginal tribes in the area.
On September 6, 1871 a Ryukyuan ship was wrecked off the coast of Taiwan and its surviving crew murdered in a situation similar to that of Rover. On February 29, 1872, Le Gendre left for Taiwan to attempt to have his treaty extended to cover Japanese sailors as well. The mission was unsuccessful, and Le Gendre also had a falling out with the United States Minister to Beijing.
Career in Japan and Korea
In December 1872, while traveling from Amoy back to the United States, Le Gendre stopped off in Japan and was hired by Japanese Foreign MinisterMinister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
Soejima Taneomi
Soejima Taneomi
was a diplomat and statesman during early Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Soejima was born into a samurai family in Saga, in Hizen province . His father was a teacher in the domain's school and a scholar of National Learning . In 1866, Soejima was sent to Nagasaki by the domain leaders to study the...
as an advisor in both foreign affair and military affairs, becoming the first foreigner employed in a Japanese government post.
Le Gendre participated in the December 1872 diplomatic mission by Soejima to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. After meeting with only partial success in negotiations, Le Gendre helped organize Japan's Taiwan Expedition of 1874
Taiwan Expedition of 1874
The , usually referred to in Taiwan and mainland China as the Mudan incident , was a punitive expedition launched by the Japanese in retaliation for the murder of 54 Ryukyuan sailors by Paiwan aborigines near the southwestern tip of Taiwan in December 1871...
, which he intended to personally accompany. However, Le Gendre was unexpectedly imprisoned for a brief time at Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
on the orders of the United States Consul-General for deserting the service, and thus never actually made it to Taiwan. In 1875, the Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, which represents the second highest of eight classes associated with the award. This represented the first time that the Order had been conferred on a non-Japanese recipient. Le Gendre retired later that same year.
Le Gendre remained in Japan until 1890, working in a private capacity as an advisor to Ōkuma Shigenobu
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
. In March 1890 he left Japan to become an adviser to King Gojong of Korea. He remained in the Korean court until his death of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
on September 1, 1899. He was buried in the Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery
Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery
Yanghwajin , also known as the Hapjeong-dong International Cemetery, is a cemetery overlooking the Han River in the district of Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Designated in 1890 as a site for foreign missionaries by King Gojong, the site is currently open to the public from 9:00am to 6:00pm and is...
in Seoul.
Le Gendre was author of Progressive Japan: A Study of the Political and Social Needs of the Empire (1878).
A large portion of his private papers are now in the possession of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Family in Japan
Having divorced his American wife, in Japan Le Gendre married Ito Ikeda. Ito Ikeda was the illegitimate daughter of Matsudaira YoshinagaMatsudaira Yoshinaga
, also known as Matsudaira Keiei, was the 14th head of Fukui Domain during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and politician of the Meiji era. "Yoshinaga" is his imina and "Shungaku" is his gō...
, a Daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
(大名) regarded as one of the "Four Wise Lords of the bakumatsu". They had a son and two daughters. Their son later became a famous Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
(歌舞伎) actor, Ichimura Uzaemon XV.