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Zachary Taylor
General Zachary Taylor "Old Rough and Ready" Taylor was given his nickname from his fellow soldiers. Taylor's military experiences include action in the The Second Seminole War and the Mexican War.
His status as a "war hero" propelled Taylor into the race for the Presidency as the Whig candidate. At age 64 Taylor became the 12th President of the United State in 1849 -- his first elected office. But the political environment at the time was filled with strong opposing opinions. President Taylor and his administration encountered severe problems.
On a trip to the northeastern United States President Taylor developed both diarrhea and a high fever. Despite his personal doctor's fear that the illness would be fatal, the President recovered and returned to Washington.
It was a sunny, hot day on the Fourth of July in 1850. The President baked in the sun for several hours as he viewed the celebrations after which he took a long walk along the Potomac River before returning to the White House. He refreshed himself drinking large quantities of cold water and chilled milk as well as eating fruit.
The evening of July Fourth the President became sick. After an examination his doctor diagnosed the condition as a form of cholera, a category of intestinal ailments.
Over the next two days President Taylor's condition worsened despite (or perhaps due to) treatments of calomel (mercury), opium, bleeding and purging. Diarrhea, vomiting and severe abdominal pains left Taylor progressive weaker. Only July 8 Zachary Taylor died. Vice President Millard Fillmore followed Taylor by presidential succession.
Taylor and the Second Seminole War
In 1837 Florida was not a state. For two years the US Army had been involve in a conflict with the Seminole Native Americans. Reinforcements were needed and Taylor received his orders to move his regiment of 1100 men. Under his command was force approximately 1100 men -- regular soldiers, volunteers, and other Native Americans (including Shawnee and Delaware). Taylor and his men went in search of the Seminole and on December 25 he found them at Lake Okeechobee. Taylor and his men were victorious after a vicious battle. A thankful President Van Buren promoted Taylor to brigadier general. In 1838 Taylor was placed in command of fighting the Seminoles. But the Seminoles were far from subdued. At Taylor's request he was reassigned to the southwest in 1840 where his primary concern was (again) the Native Americans.
Although the Republic of Texas had won its independence from Mexico in 1836 there continued to be a dispute over the location of Texas' southern boundary. The Texan's declared the Rio Grande was the southern boundary and the Mexican placed the boundary farther north. The situation smoldered (with negotiations and some violent flair-ups) until Texas joined the Union. The Mexicans were furious.
Taylor was sent to Fort Jesup to close the Texas-Louisiana border until, in July of 1845) he and his men were ordered to the Texas coast. In early 1846 he was moved again, this time with orders to advance to the Rio Grande River. In April of 1846 Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande. A U.S. detachment was attacked. In May more Mexican soldiers crossed the Rio Grande. Taylor, though outnumbered, met and defeated Mexicans at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma.
As a "victorious hero" Taylor was promoted to major general. Only Major General Winfield Scott outranked Major General Taylor. On May 13, 1846, Congress declared war on Mexico and Taylor led his troops across the Rio Grande. In September he captured Monterrey. He continued to advance and by November his command was 200 miles inside of Mexico.
President Polk then ordered General Scott to take command of a new Mexican expedition, transferring most of Taylor's best troops to Scott's command. Taylor felt Polk's motivation was political. Both Scott and Polk were Democrats). Although Taylor was ordered to take a defensive posture he continued to drive against weak enemy forces.
At the Battle of Buena Vista (February 22-23, 1847) Taylor defeated Mexican forces under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The defeated enemy force had been four times larger than Taylor's.
While the Battle of Buena Vista was Taylor last military battle, he went on in 1848 to be elected President of the United States.
Several issues presented Taylor with problems, but two proved most serious:
The British were involved in Central America in an effort to build an Atlantic-Pacific canal. For decades President Monroe's "Monroe Doctrine" opposed European and Asia involvement in the Western Hemisphere. The American public continued to support this doctrine.
With the victory in the Mexican War Taylor wanted to consolidate the "spoils" of the war. He wished to grant immediate statehood to both California and New Mexico. When California declared a prohibition of slavery in California, the South was furious and challenged California statehood. Taylor stood firm and fought against Henry Clay's various compromise proposals. President Taylor stated he was prepared to use force in response to threats of Southern secession. Taylor also opposed a threatened seizure of eastern New Mexico by the state of Texas. The President's anti-slavery opinions lost him the support of his southern Whigs and resulted in an deadlock in the U. S. Congress. Taylor's death removed the deadlock and resulted in the "Compromise of 1850". (This compromise provided that as new states were added to the Union, half must allow slavery.) President's Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan avoided confrontation and used compromise to keep the peace. This set the stage for the eventual election of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
Last Modified: 01/16/2006