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TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784-1850)

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 475 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784-1850) , twelfth See also:president of the See also:United States, was See also:born in See also:Orange See also:county, See also:Virginia, on the 24th of See also:September 1784. During the following See also:year his See also:father, See also:Colonel See also:Richard Taylor, a See also:veteran of the See also:War of See also:Independence, migrated to See also:Kentucky, settling near See also:Louisville, and thereafter played an important See also:part in the See also:wars and politics of his adopted See also:state. The boyhood and youth of Zachary Taylor were thus passed in the midst of the stirring frontier scenes of See also:early Kentucky, and from this experience he acquired the hardihood and resoluteness that characterized his later See also:life, although he inevitably lacked the advantages of a thorough See also:education. In May 18o8 Taylor received a See also:commission as first See also:lieutenant in the 7th United States See also:Infantry, and for the next few years was employed in routine duties. Early in 1812 he was made See also:captain, and during the ensuing hostilities with See also:Great See also:Britain distinguished himself by his gallant See also:defence against the See also:Indians of Fort See also:Harrison, a stockade in central See also:Indiana. For this he was breveted See also:major, and in May 1814 received a See also:regular major's commission, but being reduced at the conclusion of the war to the See also:rank of captain, temporarily See also:left the service. In May 1816 he was reinstated as major, and in 1819 was promoted to be a lieutenant-colonel; and in the routine See also:discharge of his duties he was stationed at various posts on the western frontier. In 1832, as colonel, he took part in the See also:Black See also:Hawk War, and was the officer to whom Black Hawk surrendered; later he occasionally acted as See also:Indian See also:agent along the upper See also:Mississippi. In 1836 Taylor was ordered from See also:Wisconsin to take command against the Seminoles in See also:Florida. On the 25th of See also:December 1837, after a difficult See also:campaign, he inflicted a severe defeat upon the Indians at the See also:battle of Okeechobee, and for this was breveted brigadier-See also:general. Then followed four years of harassing service in the Florida See also:Everglades, whence he passed to the command of the First See also:Department of the See also:army, with headquarters at Fort See also:Jesup, See also:Louisiana. While at New See also:Orleans in 1845, Taylor received orders from President See also:Polk to See also:march his troops into See also:Texas, as soon as that state should accept the terms of See also:annexation proposed by the See also:Joint See also:Resolution of See also:Congress of March 2, 1845.

Later in See also:

June Polk, who assumed that the Rio Grande rather than the Nueces was the See also:south-western boundary of Texas, ordered him to take up a position at the mouth of, the See also:Sabine, or at some other point best suited for an advance to the former See also:river. By the See also:middle of See also:August Taylor had selected a position at Corpus Christi, on the See also:west See also:bank of the Nueces and within the disputed territory, and here he remained until the following See also:spring. Upon the definite refusal of the Mexican See also:government under Paredes to resume with the United States the See also:diplomatic relations broken off by the annexation of Texas, Taylor was ordered to advance to the Rio Grande for the purpose of anticipating any hostile incursion from See also:Mexico. He himself favoured such a See also:movement if the United States was to maintain its claim as regards the boundary. In obedience to his instructions he left Corpus Christi on the 12th of March 1846, fortified Point See also:Isabel as a See also:base of supplies, and took up his position on the disputed river, opposite the Mexican See also:town of Matamoras. Here he began to construct Fort Texas, after-wards called Fort See also:Brown, upon the See also:present site of See also:Brownsville. The See also:commander of the Mexican Army of the See also:North, Ampudia, immediately summoned him to retire behind the Nueces under the See also:threat of interpreting his advance as an invasion of Mexican territory. Taylor not only disregarded this See also:summons, but within the following See also:week proceeded to See also:blockade the Rio Grande. Hostilities were then unavoidable, and the first passage at arms occurred on the 24th of See also:April 1846, when a large force of Mexicans on the See also:east bank of the Rio Grande ambushed and captured a small party of See also:American dragoons under Captain See also:Seth B. See also:Thornton (1814-1847). The See also:news of this event led President Polk, on the 11th of May, to recommend a formal See also:declaration of war on the ground that it existed " by the See also:act of Mexico herself," for that See also:power " has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and See also:shed American See also:blood upon American See also:soil." This statement was incorporated in the See also:bill declaring war, and although severely criticized during the See also:Senate debate, passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming majorities. Meanwhile Taylor had strengthened his base of supplies at Point Isabel, where he was reinforced by See also:militia from Texas and Louisiana, and during the return march from this See also:post was fiercely attacked at Palo See also:Alto (about 8 m.

N.E. of Brownsville, Texas) on May 8th, by the Mexicans under Arista. The latter was easily driven from the See also:

field, but on the following See also:day threatened Taylor's advance in a much stronger position, Resaca de la See also:Palma (about 4 M. N. of Brownsville). A brilliant See also:charge by the dragoons under Captain May decided this contest, which Taylor followed up. by a pursuit of the Mexican general to the Rio Grande. After relieving Fort Brown, which had been besieged since the 3rd of May, Taylor himself crossed the river, and on the 18th of May occupied Matamoras, from which Arista had already retreated to See also:Monterrey. As it was the intention of the See also:administration to wage war for the purpose merely of bringing Mexico to negotiate, Taylor did not immediately advance southward from the Rio Grande. When, however, Mexico persisted in her refusal to treat, Polk decided to conquer her See also:northern provinces. Taylor formed a new base of operations at See also:Camargo, farther up the river, and from this point, in August began an advance towards Monterrey, the See also:capital of Nuevo See also:Leon. After hard fighting he occupied this See also:city in the latter part of September (see MONTERREY). The truce with which he followed up this success was unacceptable to the administration, and upon receiving See also:notice to resume hostilities, he occupied See also:Saltillo, the capital of See also:Coahuila, and See also:Victoria, the capital of See also:Tamaulipas, thus completing the See also:con-quest of the north-eastern states of Mexico. By this See also:time Taylor had been reinforced by some 3000 troops which had marched under Gen. See also:John E.

See also:

Wool from See also:San See also:Antonio directly towards See also:Chihuahua, but which had been deflected at Monclova to join his ." army of occupation." During the war he was breveted major-general (May 1846), and Congress thrice passed votes of thanks and ordered the presentation of commemorative See also:gold medals. President Polk distrusted Taylor because of his supposed .Whig views, and now began to See also:express his dissatisfaction with the general's failure to take full See also:advantage of his victories and his hesitancy to suggest a See also:plan for the futureconduct of the war. Taylor was unwilling to See also:lead his own army farther into the See also:desert interior of Mexico and remained non-committal upon the projected See also:attempt from See also:Vera Cruz. When Polk finally determined upon the latter campaign, he selected Gen. See also:Winfield See also:Scott, although the latter was personally unacceptable to himself, as its See also:leader, and despite Taylor's vigorous protests detached most of his experienced troops to join Scott's command. Meanwhile through the connivance of the American authorities, See also:Santa See also:Anna returned from his Cuban See also:exile, and, as the newly elected Mexican president, disregarding his pledges to aid Polk in bringing about a satisfactory See also:peace, prepared to wage a more effective war against the American invaders. Learning of the weakened See also:condition of Taylor's force he made a sudden advance to the northward, with some 20,000 troops, and on the 22nd of See also:February 1847 encountered Taylor with one-See also:fourth that number at Buena Vista, a few See also:miles beyond Saltillo. The all-day battle in the narrow See also:mountain pass was the most stubbornly contested of the whole war, and the brilliant victory of Taylor over such odds made " Old Rough and Ready," as he-was called by his troops, the See also:hero of the See also:hour. With this encounter the serious See also:work of his " army of occupation " ended, although he was later joined by Gen. See also:Alexander W. Doniphan's troops, who had marched from New Mexico via Chihuahua. Taylor's brilliant victory, won when he was so greatly handicapped by Polk, emphasized the popular discontent which that president's policy had already aroused, and suggested him to the See also:political leaders as a presidential possibility.

The general, however, had passed his mature years wholly in military service and had never voted, much less strongly allied himself, with any political party. Nevertheless when Taylor meetings became the See also:

fashion and See also:newspapers began to See also:advocate his nomination, party lines threatened to disappear despite the frantic efforts of the old-time chiefs of the two leading organizations to See also:stem the See also:tide against the popular favourite. The Democratic party with its more efficient machinery prevented a stampede of its rank and See also:file, but the Whigs were less successful. Within a See also:month after his victory over Santa Anna a Whig See also:convention in See also:Iowa nominated him for the See also:presidency, and public meetings in Kentucky, See also:Ohio, Virginia, See also:Pennsylvania and elsewhere quickly took similar See also:action, in many cases without regard to party lines. Taylor first adopted a course of discouraging these suggestions and emphasized his non-See also:partisan attitude, but later gave way to the pressure, and issued a statement that proved satisfactory to the See also:majority of the Whig politicians. Yet it required four ballots in the See also:national convention to overcome the reluctance of See also:Webster's, See also:Clay's and Scott's followers and secure the party nomination. The disaffection of these leaders was more than counterbalanced, however, by the split of the New See also:York Democrats over the See also:slavery question, which assured Taylor of the See also:vote of that state. His See also:residence in Louisiana, his ownership of a large See also:plantation with its slaves, and his See also:family connexion with See also:Jefferson See also:Davis (who had married his daughter), rendered him more acceptable to many of the See also:Southern Democrats than their party See also:candidate, See also:Lewis See also:Cass, an advocate of " squatter See also:sovereignty " and the representative of the See also:democracy of the See also:free North-west. As a result Taylor carried eight slave states while his opponent secured seven, but in the free states the conditions were exactly reversed. He received a majority of electoral votes on each See also:side of the See also:Mason and See also:Dixon See also:line and was confirmed in his preconceived See also:opinion that he was to be the president of the whole See also:people. Both parties had attempted to avoid the burning slavery issue, the Whigs by adopting no See also:platform whatever and the Democrats by trusting to the well-known views of their candidate, but the political leaders in Congress could not See also:escape the many definite questions presented by the See also:possession of the territory newly acquired from Mexico. The See also:Wilmot Proviso and the bill to organize the territory of See also:Oregon had already aroused both sections and had given occasion for Webster and See also:Calhoun to state their respective views upon the constitutional questions involved.

The three See also:

weeks' contest over the See also:election of a See also:speaker in the See also:House of Representatives, in December 1849, emphasized the sectional passions already engendered. Under the circumstances the first See also:message from President Taylor was awaited with great See also:interest. While advising Congress to " abstain from the introduction of those exciting topics of sectional See also:character which have hitherto produced painful apprehensions in the public mind," he favoured the See also:admission of See also:California as a free state, and counselled the legislators to await the action of the people of New Mexico and See also:Utah upon the slavery question. As he had already encouraged California to See also:form the state government it desired, and later took a strong position against the efforts of Texas to possess itself of part of New Mexico, it was apparent that he was less inclined to favour the See also:radical See also:pro-slavery See also:programme than his previous career had seemed to promise. This was still further emphasized by his marked friendship for See also:William H. See also:Seward and his contemptuous reference to the territorial portion of Clay's See also:compromise See also:measures as the " See also:Omnibus Bill." This situation militated greatly against that leader's cherished policy, and led him to a See also:bitter See also:criticism of the president on the See also:floor of the Senate. Such was the situation when the president, early in See also:July 185o, was stricken by the disease to which he succumbed on the 9th. His remains were temporarily interred at See also:Washington, but afterwards removed to the family See also:cemetery near Louisville. The only son that survived him, RICHARD TAYLOR (1826-1879), popularly known as " General See also:Dick," graduated at Yale in 1845, entered the Confederate army at the beginning of the See also:Civil War, was commanding officer in Louisiana, and under See also:Kirby See also:Smith helped to administer the western See also:half of the Confederacy, after the fall of See also:Vicksburg. He won the victory of Sabine See also:Cross Roads over the See also:Union expedition under Gen. N. P.

See also:

Banks on the 8th of April 1864. He finally surrendered to Gen. E. R. S. Canby on the 4th of May 1865. He wrote Destruction and Reconstruction (1879). H. See also:Montgomery's Life (See also:Auburn, 185o) and John See also:Frost's Life (New York and See also:Philadelphia, 1847) are almost wholly devoted to President Taylor's military career, and are excessively laudatory in character. A better See also:biography is that (New York, 1892) by Maj.-Gen. 0. O.

See also:

Howard, in the " Great Commanders " See also:series. There is much material about Taylor in the general histories of M'See also:Master, Von Holst, and See also:Rhodes. (I. J.

End of Article: TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784-1850)

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