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Zachary Taylor
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Military
There were no schools on the Kentucky frontier, so Zachary Taylor had little formal education. At age 24, Zachary Taylor joined the army, which was the greatest chance for advancement. He served in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, and the Second Seminole War. -
Marriage
Zachary Taylor gets married to Margaret Mackall Smith. Zachary Taylor was 25 years old and his wife was 21 years old. Zachary Taylor's marriage lasted his whole life and he ended up having 6 children. -
Battle of Fort Harrison
Captain Zachary Taylor was in charge of Fort Harrison. Native Americans were coming to attack Fort Harrison and Taylor was left with a garrison of 15 men without illness. The Kickapoo chief Namahtoha requested a meeting with Taylor the next morning and the Native Americans left. Later, a warrior managed to set the blockhouse on fire and Native American soldiers arrived. Taylor's men were able to defend with the light from the fire until Native Americans retreated after reinforcements arrived. -
Promotion
Zachary Taylor was promoted to Brigadier General after his victory over the Seminoles at Lake Okeechobee. Taylor stated that the Indians were driven in every direction by the U.S. army. The battle was truly an Indian victory, but the strength of Taylor's claim made it seem like the United States won.Taylor's leadership was seen worthy enough to become Brigadier General. -
The Battle of Palo Alto
This battle was fought just north of present-day Brownsville, Texas. Mexican General Mariano Arista gathered 4,000 men and separated Taylor and his supply base, putting Fort Texas under siege. Taylor and his men escaped the trap and headed to Point Isabel and gathered supplies and troops before heading to Fort Texas. The superiority of the U.S. cannons and artillery tactics gave the U.S. the victory with half as many casualties as the Mexican army. -
Battle of Resaca de la Palma
General Mariano Arista retreated from Palo Alto to Resaca de la Palma. General Zachary Taylor followed him and upon arriving, ordered an immediate charge. Soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat and broke past the soldiers and across the waterway. Mexican forces put up a gritty fight, but the experience of the U.S. soldiers gave the U.S. a victory. -
Battle of Monterrey
General Zachary Taylor moved his 6,640 men north of Monterrey while the 5,000 Mexican troops led by General Pedro Ampudia were waiting behind fortifications. Taylor planned a two-pronged assault in which General Worth and his troops would attack from the west and southwest and the troops under temporary command of John Garland would attack from the east. The attacks were successful and led to a treaty in which Monterrey was in the hands of the U.S. and there would be an eight-week armistice. -
Battle of Buena Vista
Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his army of 20,000 men attacked General Taylor and his 5,000 inexperienced troops at a mountain pass near the Hacienda Buena Vista. Taylor refused to surrender and the fighting started. Santa Anna's men broke through the U.S. line, but that line was soon stabilized with the 1st Mississippi Rifles under command by Colonel Jefferson Davis. These men stabilized the U.S. line and stalled Santa Anna's army and the Mexican army retreated the next day. -
Elected as President
Becomes the 12th president of the United States in March 1849. Zachary Taylor was part of the Whigs political party against Lewis Cass from the Democratic political party and Martin Van Buren from the Free Soil political party. The Free Soilers pulled enough votes away from Cass to allow Zachary Taylor to win the election. -
Galphin Scamdal
President Zachary Taylor's secretary of war, George Crawford, pushed through a law that gave compensation to the Galphin family for land seized by the government about 70 years earlier. In exchange for getting the Galphin family compensation, the Galphin family allowed Crawford to take half of the total money, about $94,000. Crawford was forced to resign when the public found out, and this hurt Zachary Taylor's presidency.
