President Polk had pledged to only serve one term, and thus the race for the presidency was wide open. He was a successful military leader and his contribution as a military leader was immense. One of the more contentious of our Zachary Taylor facts involves his success against the Seminole Indians in 1837. This began his steady rise in rank through the army.
Yet, before Taylor could see these issues to their final completion, he was gone. Although Taylor’s forces were prevented from moving further south and expelling the Seminoles, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. Taylor’s political ideology was vague, but it seemed to fit with the Whigs. To save time, he rode sidesaddle, especially useful when he needed to mount quickly. *, 50 Chuck Norris Facts That Mainstream Media Wont Tell You, 50 Eccentric Facts About Kim Jong Un The Supreme Leader Of North Korea. He had consumed cherries and milk before he fell ill. Taylor died several days later, and his doctors therefore blamed his death on eating cherries with milk. Just over one year after entering the presidency, Taylor developed a severe gastrointestinal illness. They eventually owned 10,000 acres of land and had 26 slaves to manage it. Throughout American history, there have been several military heroes who have gone on to be president. Despite his military career, Taylor still had enough time to engage in business.

Doctors today think Taylor died of cholera, but, back then, they had other ideas. Taylor's "outsider" philosophy kept him out of touch with Congress. During this time, he acquired both land and slaves near Louisville, where he had grown up. One of our most curious Zachary Taylor facts, therefore, is that he rode sidesaddle (when the rider puts both legs on the same side of the horse) when fighting.

His death also created the myth that milk and cherries are a poisonous combination. What he said about federal economic policy in his only annual message to Congress was utterly ignored due to preoccupation with the territorial issue. Let’s learn more about this little-known military leader and president, Zachary Taylor. Taylor joined the military in 1808 at the age of 24 in response to British naval attacks on American ships. He favored sectional compromise over exalting the interests of one particular region. Taylor attempted to deal with these tensions by admitting new regions as states rather than territories, especially in regards to California. From their line, came Taylor’s second cousin, James Madison, who would become the country’s 4th President, serving from 1809 to 1817.
Another of our little-known Zachary Taylor facts is that he never fully mastered the art of writing.

After the lesson, test your knowledge with a quiz. I got Zachary Taylor which is probably the hardest one. Your email address will not be published. He was also a businessman and a slave owner, but did not expand the scope of slavery in the USA. In 1846, President James K. Polk sent Taylor to the Rio Grande to protect the Union against attacks from Mexico. Taylor was the commanding officer in the Mexican War. He gained notoriety during the War of 1812 by fighting against Native Americans in the Indiana Territory. The Whig Party chose him to be President, even though he wasn’t at their convention. One other accomplishment was that he … During the 1830s, Taylor commanded troops during the Black Hawk War in Illinois and the Second Seminole War in Florida. In the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, Taylor’s Secretary of State, John Clayton, was able to negotiate an agreement with Great Britain regarding a possible future canal running through Central America. Taylor was literate – it’s just that he was a terrible writer and his penmanship was barely legible. Required fields are marked How about receiving a customized one? Taylor led U.S. forces in Northern Mexico, gaining victories at Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. Taylor’s father, Richard, served as a lieutenant colonel during the American Revolution which brought that independence about. He rose quickly through the ranks, and, by 1811, he was given control over Fort Knox after its previous commander abandoned it. 40 Suicide Forest Facts That May Creep You Out, Chinese Zodiac 12 Animal Signs And Their Origin, 100 Interesting Facts That Will Boggle Your Mind, 300 Random Facts No One Knows What To Do With, 100 Nutrition Facts To An Easier And Healthier Lifestyle, 100 Amazing Facts That Will Blow Your Mind, 300 WTF Facts That Will Make You Question Everything, 300 Weird Facts That Will Confuse And Amaze You At The Same Time, 100 Did You Know Facts Most People Have Never Heard About, Presidency: 12th President of the United States (1849-1850), Accomplishments: A war hero during the Indian Wars and annexation of Mexico, Began As: Career Officer and decorated war veteran, Ancestry: Zachary Taylor Could Trace His Ancestors to the Mayflower, Relations: Zachary Taylor was Related to Another US President, Upbringing: Zachary Taylor Came from a Rich Family, Career: Zachary Taylor Joined the Army Because of the British, Personal Life: Zachary Taylor was a Slave Owner, Achievement: Zachary Taylor was the Hero of the Second Seminole War, Brutality: Zachary Taylor Wanted to Exterminate the Seminoles, Reputation: Zachary Taylor was a Mexican War Hero, History: Zachary Taylor May Not Have Been Serious about Becoming President, Political Stance: Zachary Taylor was Politically Ambiguous, Zachary Taylor didn’t Know about His Own Presidential Nomination, Zachary Taylor Rode His Horse Sidesaddle When in Battle, Zachary Taylor Didn’t Want His Daughter to Marry a Military Man, Zachary Taylor Could Read but Barely Write, Doctors Thought Zachary Taylor was Killed by Cherries and Milk. He therefore didn’t know about his own nomination until several weeks later! The one thing about him that is clear is that he was committed to preserving the Union even if it meant using force against the secessionists. Born in Virginia in 1784, Zachary Taylor was a native of the slave-holding South. So, it’s strange that he would ban his own daughter from marrying another military man, but he did just that in 1832. Taylor and Fillmore won the election that year, defeating Democrat Lewis Cass. Emeritus Professor of History University of Virginia, © Copyright 2019. What are 5 accomplishments Zachary Taylor had done as a president? On the political front, Taylor, at the time of his death, was under severe pressure from Whigs to replace his unpopular cabinet, and had he done so, it might have improved relations with the congressional wing of the Whig Party. Taylor may not have wanted to become the country’s 12th president, but when he did, he set up a diverse government, not one devoted exclusively to his Whig Party. Upon becoming President, he spent the first few months at his military post. After defeating Mexican troops at Monterrey, Taylor sent a large portion of his army to join Winfield Scott’s men in taking Veracruz. One of our little-known Zachary Taylor facts is that he may not have wanted to become President at all. Using his family’s wealth, he bought more land, and an increasing number of slaves to manage it. His 17-year-old daughter, Sarah Knox, was being courted by Lieutenant Jefferson Davis (who would later become the President of the Confederate States of America). Taylor did this because his legs were very short, and he needed help to get on a horse.

Despite having fewer men, Taylor defeated a larger Mexican force before attacking their city of Monterrey. The Mexican-American War began in 1846, and it was Taylor’s shining moment. His military victories had earned him a broad support base, not just from his own Whig Party, but from the others as well. Lesser known than those two, Zachary Taylor was elected president in 1848 entirely upon his record as a military leader. He was the triumphant military conqueror of Mexico who saw little need for Manifest Destiny as a foreign policy.

By the mid 1820s, Taylor acquired a plantation in Louisiana and moved there with his young family. Despite being from the South and being himself a slave owner, Taylor did not support the expansion of slavery into western territories. This made Taylor a hero, and, riding on his popularity, he put his name up for the upcoming presidential elections. He never addressed the legislature with a clear policy statement, nor did he use his influence to direct legislation—except on the matter of statehood for California and New Mexico. Taylor’s early military career saw him in several different posts.