Zachary Taylor
By Joey Browne
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the twelfth president of the United States. He is very important because he was one of the most powerful and fierce leaders of the U.S. Army. He joined the Army as a first lieutenant. His cousin, James Madison, secured his commission. Two years later, Taylor got promoted to a captain. When he was in the War of 1812, he got promoted to a major. In the war, he and his troops were a major part in defending Fort Harrison from Native American attacks. After the war, higher ranking officers demoted him to back to a captain urging him to resign from the army.
In 1816, he reenlisted in the army as a captain, and two years later, he got promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He fought in many battles against Native Americans. Many years later, Taylor was in command of all the army in the south as a brigadier-general. In 1845, he assumed command of U.S. troops along the Texas-Mexico border, and fought a victorious battle at the Battle at Buena Vista in February of 1847.
After the major victory at Buena Vista, Taylor became popular. After he became popular, the Whig party noticed an opportunity to win another election, so they nominated Taylor for presidency in 1848. Even though he had no political experience besides his military career, Taylor won in a landslide. After a forth of July celebration, Taylor ate some bad milk and berries and got sick. He died 5 days later on July 9, 1850. He was the second president to die in office. Zachary Taylor was mostly known for his reputation of being a war hero.
Citations
Zachary Taylor. 01 July 2005. 19 Nov 2007 <http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2385>.