ZACHARY TAYLOR
Biography
Before he became President of the United States in 1849, Zachary Taylor served his country for nearly 40 years as an army officer. He fought with courage and honor in the War of 1812, The Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican War. At the close of the Mexican War he was the second highest officer in the United States Army. His term as president was cut short by death before much had been accomplished, but not before Taylor had made clear his devotion to the preservation of the Union, his absolute integrity, his unyielding firmness, and his modesty.
Early Military Career
Between 1808 and 1837, Taylor was stationed at various army posts, mostly on the Northwest frontier but occasionally in the Southwest. During the War of 1812 (1812-14) he took part in a number of military campaigns against the British and their Indian allies. He slowly advanced in rank, receiving his commission as major in 1815. Later that year, when the Army was reduced to peacetime strength, he resigned rather than return to the rank of captain. But after less than a year in civilian life, which he spent growing corn and tobacco near Louisville, Taylor was appointed major in the 3rd Regiment. In 1819 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
By 1832, Taylor, now 47 years old, was a colonel, commanding the 1st Regiment. The Black Hawk War broke out the same year, and Taylor took part in the hard-fought campaign against Chief Black Hawk and the Sac Indians in Illinois.
The Second Seminole War
In the summer of 1837 Taylor was ordered to take his regiment to Florida. Since late 1835 the Army had been fighting the Seminole Indians, and reinforcements were needed. This was the start of events that were to make Taylor a national hero and carry him to the White House.
In December 1837, with a force of nearly 1,100 men, including regular soldiers, volunteers, and some Shawnee and Delaware Indians, Taylor set out in search of the Seminole. On December 25, after hard marching through very rough and difficult country, he found the Seminole at Lake Okeechobee and defeated them in a desperate battle. This victory won for Taylor the thanks of President Van Buren and a brevet (honorary) commission as brigadier general. But the war continued, and in 1838 Taylor was placed in command. For 2 years he directed the fighting against the Seminole. His efforts were commended by the secretary of war, but he had no greater success in subduing the Seminole than had his predecessors. In 1840, at his own request, he was relieved of command and assigned to duty in the Southwest. Here his main concern once again was with the Indians.
The Mexican War
In 1836, after winning its independence from Mexico, Texas had established itself as an independent republic. Early negotiations for Texas to join the United States had failed, but in 1844 these negotiations were renewed. Mexico, however, strongly opposed American annexation of Texas, and the Texans, fearing attack, requested protection from the United States.
Taylor was ordered to Fort Jesup, close to the Texas-Louisiana border. He remained there until July 1845, when he was ordered to move his forces to the coast of Texas. Early in 1846 he was ordered to advance to the Rio Grande, the river that Texas claimed as its border with Mexico. On April 25, 1846, Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attacked a U.S. detachment. In May a larger Mexican force crossed the river. Although badly outnumbered, Taylor gave battle, defeating the Mexicans at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma.
The American people hailed Taylor as a hero. Promoted to major general, he became the second ranking officer in the U.S. Army. He was outranked only by Major General Winfield Scott, the commanding general of the Army.
After Congress declared war on May 13, 1846, Taylor crossed the Rio Grande. On September 25, he captured the Mexican city of Monterrey. By November 1846, he had advanced some 200 miles (320 kilometers) into Mexico.
Meanwhile, President James K. Polk had given General Winfield Scott command of a new Mexican expedition, and most of Taylor's best troops were transferred to Scott's forces. The angry Taylor claimed that Polk had acted so for political reasons. (Both Polk and Scott were Democrats.) Despite orders to remain on the defensive, Taylor advanced with his weakened forces. On February 22-23, 1847, at the battle of Buena Vista, he defeated a Mexican army under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna that was four times larger than his own. This was Taylor's last battle of the war.
The Presidency
Although Taylor had no political experience, leaders of the Whig urged his nomination for the presidency in 1848. Taylor at first refused but later accepted the nomination. In the election Taylor carried eight southern and seven northern states, exactly half of the total. But he won 163 Electoral votes, 36 more than Lewis Cass, the Democratic candidate. Martin Van Buren, a former president, ran unsuccessfully as the Free Soil Party candidate.
The Slavery Crisis
When Taylor was inaugurated in 1849, the nation faced a crisis. Controversy between North and South over the question of slavery in the Western territories had grown increasingly bitter. Opponents of slavery insisted that Congress had the constitutional authority to keep slavery out of the territories. Southerners were equally certain that Congress had no such authority, and Southern extremists threatened secession (to leave the Union) if Congress took such action. Compromise proposals to settle this and other slavery problems were introduced into Congress by Henry Clay. Taylor opposed them. This was partly because he had already suggested a plan of his own, partly because of a growing feud with Clay, and partly because he believed that the Union could not be preserved by compromise reached in the face of threats of secession.
Though a Southerner and slaveholder, Taylor had no sympathy with the southern position in this crisis. He was ready to take the field and lead the Army himself if rebellion occurred. The measures known as the Compromise of 1850 were not enacted until after Taylor's death, and his death was one of the factors that made their passage possible.
In the field of foreign affairs the chief accomplishment of the Taylor administration was the negotiation of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with Great Britain in 1850. The treaty provided that neither country would have exclusive control over any ship canal through Central America or could fortify such a canal. Trouble with Spain over Cuba threatened but was avoided, and honest friendship with all nations was maintained.
Taylor's Death
In his hard-fought campaigns against the Seminole, Taylor had won the nickname of “Old Rough and Ready.” But by the time he entered the White House he was no longer in robust health. On July 4, 1850, he took part in the ceremonies at the laying of the Washington Monument cornerstone. After long exposure to the hot sun he returned to the White House. He developed a stomach ailment after dining and died on the evening of July 9, 1850. Vice President Millard Fillmore succceeded him as the 13th president.
Taylor was of medium height, short-legged, and heavy-set. He dressed plainly, at times carelessly, and made an undistinguished appearance. He was a man of absolute honesty, straightforward and simple in manner, strong-minded and firm almost to the point of obstinacy. He was not a military genius, but he was a hard-working, successful officer. He was not a great statesman, but he was a faithful servant of the people.
Brainerd Dyer
Author, Zachary Taylor