TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784-185o), twelfth president of the United States, was born in Orange county, Virginia, Sept. 1784. Within the year his father, Richard Taylor, an officer in the Revolutionary War, made a new home for his family in Kentucky where Washington appointed him collector of the port of Louis ville, then on the border and Spaniards and Indians were still a menace. In this environment Zachary Taylor spent his youth, and gained what little schooling he was to enjoy from Elisha Ayres, a New England tutor, who was employed by the elder Taylor to ground his numerous family in the rudiments. In 1806 he volunteered during the difficulties caused by Aaron Burr's southwestern schemes and saw brief service. Two years later through the instrumentality of his relative, James Madison, and others, Zachary Taylor was given a commission by Jefferson as first lieutenant in the seventh infantry, the beginning of his military career of 4o years duration.
As captain and major he served through Harrison's Indian cam paign and the War of 1812 in the northwest territory and at the close of the war temporarily left the army because reduction to peace-time strength had lowered his rank. However in 1816 Presi dent Madison reappointed him to his old rank and there ensued twenty years of garrison life at various posts, varied in 1832 by an expedition against Black Hawk. The outbreak of the Seminole War in 1837 found him an infantry colonel in the Northwest and soon orders came for him to take his command to the Everglades. In this bewildering warfare he spent three years gaining promo tion to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet for his service in the battle of Kissimmee on Lake Okeechobee and receiving corn mand of operations. He was able to make little impression against these Indian foes and in 1840 asked to be relieved. He was given command of the first department with headquarters in Louisiana, which enabled him to acquire a plantation at Baton Rouge and establish a home where he spent many intervals between tours of inspection. When Texas was acquired in 1845 it fell to him to protect the new possession and he was ordered by the War depart ment to occupy the borders of Texas; by the spring of 1846 he had moved down to the mouth of the Rio Grande with a force of over 3,00o men and established Ft. Brown. The Mexican army
was concentrated across the river with orders to drive the Ameri cans out of the contested area; the result was a skirmish on the American side of the river, April 24, and war was immediately declared. Taylor found himself in a precarious situation because of the exposed position of his base of supplies at Pt. Isabel and while manoeuvring to protect this base he fought the Mexican army winning two victories at Palo Alto (q.v.) and Resaca de la Palma (q.v.) on May 8 and 9, 1846. These victories sent the Mexicans across the river to Matamoras. Taylor was unprepared to follow up his advantage so when he finally crossed the river and occupied Matamoras (May 18), the enemy had gone. The news of these victories was received with great appreciation throughout the country and various persons including Whig editors and politicians began to see the possibilities of a presidential candidate in the victorious general. Thereupon, because Gen. Winfield Scott, commander of the army, was so slow in preparing to take active charge, President Polk placed Taylor in command of the invasion of Mexico and appointed him major-general at first by brevet and then in full rank. After slow preparations at Matamoras he moved in August to the head of navigation on the Rio Grande where he established a depot at Camargo and then set out for his first objective, Monterey. September 21-24 wit nessed a series of vigorous skirmishes, heroic assaults and grave errors. Taylor with little knowledge of military science or the use of artillery resolved to take the town by bayonet assault which caused considerable slaughter of his own men. But the fighting was so effective that on the third day the Mexicans agreed to surrender if they be permitted to retreat and be granted an eight weeks' armistice, subject to the approval of the respective governments. Taylor accepted these terms, and "Old Rough and Ready," was acclaimed once more throughout the land.