Born in 1784 and the son of a Revolutionary War officer, Zachary Taylor grew up in Kentucky. Louisville was a backwater when he was a child but boomtown as he reached adulthood. In the wake of the 1807 attack by the British on an American frigate (Chesapeake-Leopard Affair), President Jefferson called for an increase in the military. Thus began Zachary Taylor's army career. Based in the far west during the War of 1812, he saw little action. Soon, he was commanding forts along the Mississippi to protect settlers from the various Indian tribes. He slowly gained rank and was Colonel of the 1st Infantry Regiment during the Black Hawk War (1832). He came to national attention by 'winning' the Battle of Lake Okeechobee (1837) in the Seminole War (1835-1842). It was a technical win as his forces took the battlefield, but the cost was 26 killed and 112 wounded. The Seminole forces lost 11 killed and 14 wounded. He did not care for Florida and was glad to be sent back to the western forts. In 1845, Texas was annexed, and General Taylor was sent to Corpus Christi to command the Army of Occupation. In March of 1846, he led his forces to the Rio Grande and built Fort Texas. In late April, Mexican cavalry attacked US Dragoons on the northside of the Rio Grande. On May 8th, 2,300 American soldiers met 3,700 Mexican soldiers at Palo Alto. The American officer corps, composed of West Point graduates, proved their worth. The following day saw the last battle in Texas at Resaca de la Palma, another victory for Taylor. If Okeechobee made him known to the nation, these two battles made him a hero. In September, he captured the city of Monterey and there was talk of running him for president in 1848. No one knew if he was a Democrat or a Whig, so both parties courted him. When it was clear that he leaned more Whig, President Polk - a Democrat - sought to sideline him and sent General Winfield Scott to take over. Despite having the majority of his veterans reallocated to General Scott, Taylor won the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847 and cemented his national fame. Though he wanted to be a non-partisan president, he accepted the Whig nomination. He was elected by a plurality (47.3%) of the vote, the Democrats having split between former President Van Buren (10.1%) and Lewis Cass (42.5%). During the contentious debates about admitting new states - especially California - from among the territory captured in the recent war, Taylor sided with the North. Despite growing up as a Southerner and being a slave owner, he sided against the South during his presidency. He was an American first and a Southerner second. His political naivete was just fading away and he was starting to assert himself in the political games of Washington when he died of cholera in July 1850. The Whigs had only won the presidency twice. First with William Henry Harrison and then with Zachary Taylor. Harrison died 1 month into office, Taylor lasted 16 months.
K Jack Bauer has written an interesting and informative biography. It paints a picture of an incurious but persistent man. Taylor was diligent in building a fortune during his lifetime. He was one to hold a grudge. He was beloved by his troops who gave him the name of Old Rough and Ready. Indeed, Taylor was more likely to be mistaken as a farmer than a general, as he typically wore plain clothes and a straw hat. After reading this, I had a lower opinion of his abilities as a general but a higher opinion of him as a president.
Recommended.
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