Zachary Taylor and the Mexican War
Apr 9, 2017 0:43:38 GMT
Quintus Fabius, Yi Sun Sin, and 4 more like this
Post by Ivan Kolev on Apr 9, 2017 0:43:38 GMT
This is a presentation about Zachary Taylor, the American general who dealt several crushing blows to the Mexican army in the Mexican-American War.
Top: Zachary Taylor
Second from Top: Battle of Buena Vista
Second from Bottom: Battle of Palo Alto
Bottom: Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Zachary Taylor was born on November 24th, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia, to a family with some important connections. His father was a veteran of the American War of Independence, James Madison was his second cousin, and he was related to William Brewster, one of the settlers sailing on the Mayflower and was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. After exhausting the local land, Taylor's family moved west to Kentucky, where his father was very successful, owning 10,000 acres of land and 26 slaves. Taylor had no real formal education, and he was near illiterate as a result, with his later military letters having numerous spelling and grammar mistakes as with horrendous handwriting.
In 1808, Taylor joined the American army, and was deployed to Louisiana. Due to no real need for his service at the time, Taylor spent the time to work on his finances, buying a plantation for $95,000 with 83 slaves. In 1812, Taylor was sent to defend Fort Harrison from attacks by Native Americans supported by Britain as a part of the War of 1812. From September 4th to September 15th, Taylor's fifty men, of which 30 were sick, successfully defended an attack led by Tecumseh with his 600 strong Native American force. He had numerous other posts in the War of 1812 until the war's end in 1815 following the Battle of New Orleans. In 1826, he and his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where had just bought a plantation. Taylor also served in the Black Hawk War from 1828 until 1832 in the Michigan Territory, modern Minnesota, successfully defending against Chief Black Hawk's forces. When he returned to Baton Rouge, Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederate States, married Taylor's daughter. In 1837, Taylor defeated a force of Seminole in the Second Seminole War at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, where he gained the nickname 'Old Rough and Ready'.
In 1844, Taylor was sent to Fort Jesup in Louisiana, in anticipation of a potential Mexican invasion of the neighboring Republic of Texas, which the U.S was presently attempting to annex via treaty. In July 1845, President James K. Polk ordered Taylor and his men to march into disputed Mexican-Texan territory along the Rio Grande River. As Texas was about to be annexed, this territorial despite would soon be a Mexican-American border dispute, and Polk intended to win that territory and much more. In March, 1846, Taylor's force was at the banks of the Rio Grande, which to Mexico was an act of war. On April 25, U.S forces under Seth B. Thornton were attacked by Mexican forces north of the Rio Grande. This event, later to be known as the Thornton Affair, was used by President Polk as a justification for war with Mexico, which he included in his speech to congress asking for war. The U.S declared war on Mexico on May 13th, 1846.
From May 3rd to May 9th, the Mexican army laid siege to Fort Texas near the Rio Grande with 1,600 men and 14 artillery pieces against only 500 U.S troops with no artillery. Taylor moved his forces from nearby Fort Polk to relieve the siege, but the Mexican general Mariano Arista learned of Taylor's movement and aimed to intercept his forces. On May 8th, 1846, Zachary Taylor's Army of Occupation came into contact with Mariano Arista's Army of the North at the Battle of Palo Alto. While Taylor's force of 2,288 men with 8 artillery pieces were outnumbered by Arista's force of 3,709 men with 14 artillery pieces, Taylor was able to achieve victory. The principle reason for the victory by the U.S was the use of Flying Artillery invented by Samuel Ringgold. Flying Artillery was a military doctrine where instead of artillery being static and in place the entire battle, the artillery is horse drawn, carried from place to place, and operating within one or two minutes. Despite having less artillery and men than the Mexicans, the Mexicans ultimately retreated from the field. 102 Mexicans died in the battle with 129 wounded while only 4 Americans died in the battle (One of which was Samuel Ringgold himself) with 48 wounded. This battle made Zachary Taylor a national hero. On May 9th, Taylor pursued Arista's retreating forces at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, where Taylor's 1,700 men defeated 4,000 Mexicans. 33 Americans died with 89 wounded and the Mexicans lost 154 men with 205 wounded. After the battle, Taylor did a prisoner exchange with Arista. Following Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, the Mexicans retreated from the North of the Rio Grande.
Taylor and his army crossed the Rio Grande and moved toward the city of Monterrey. Considered impregnable, Taylor's 6,220 men fought against the 7,303 Mexican troops under General Pedro de Ampudia at the Battle of Monterrey in hard fought urban warfare from September 21st to September 24th 1846. Taylor lost 120 men and had 368 wounded troops by the end of the battle while Ampudia's force had 367 killed or wounded. Taylor came to a compromise with the Mexicans: A two month armistice between both sides as well as an American takeover of the city of Monterrey in exchange for allowing the Mexicans to peacefully evacuate. While Taylor was criticized for the armistice, he took the city of Monterrey as a result.
After Monterrey, most of Taylor's force was relocated to aid in Winfield Scott's future siege of Veracruz in late 1846 and early 1847, leaving him with only around 4,750. By this time, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, former Mexican war hero and dictator, had returned to Mexico from his exile in Cuba with the aid of the Americans as he initially promised to help sign an advantageous peace with the United States but he ended up serving on behalf of the Mexican army. Upon becoming a general in the Mexican army, Santa Anna realized Taylor's current weakness, and moved North to attack his remaining force. Santa Anna's 15,142 troops launched an attack on Taylor's force of 4,750 near the village of Buena Vista south of Taylor's base at Saltillo on February 22nd, 1847. Despite being outnumbered 3:1, Taylor's force held, mostly due to the use of superior artillery. Santa Anna ultimately withdrew from the field on February 23rd, after being recalled back to Mexico City to put down a rebellion. The Americans lost 267 men with 387 wounded while the Mexicans lost 591 men and 1,048 wounded. Taylor's victory at Buena Vista prevented the Mexicans under Santa Anna from moving North to recapture territory Taylor had already conquered. After Buena Vista, Santa Anna did not launch another attack North, instead focusing on Winfield Scott's forces advancing westward from Veracruz.
Taylor came home to Baton Rouge from the war in November 1847 to a hero's welcome. Taylor's success in the Mexican War catapulted him to the presidency in the 1848 presidential election despite initially rejecting the idea. Running as a Whig candidate with Millard Fillmore as vice president, he won the White House. While only serving as president from March 4th, 1849 to July 9th, 1850, he still had some accomplishments of note. His administration formed the Deseret Territory in the West for the Mormon population and Taylor promised religious freedom and overall autonomy. His solution for the question of the expansion of slavery in the West was that California and other acquired territories from the Mexican War be admitted to the Union as free states. He also dealt with some of the first major calls for secession from the Union, but he was heavy handed in dealing with the issue, even threatening to hang his son in law, Jefferson Davis. Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, with Henry Clay drafting the Compromise of 1850. Taylor wouldn't live long enough to veto or pass it, however. His administration gave moral support to the Hungarian and German liberal revolutionaries in Europe despite not giving any other sort of support. One of the major occurrences of his presidency was Narcisco Lopez's revolt in Cuba. Narcisco Lopez was a Venezuelan revolutionary who attempted to conquer the island of Cuba and hand it over to the U.S. Taylor did not support his action and as a result blockaded Cuba and took Lopez prisoner. He and his men were eventually acquitted, however, and Taylor successfully pressured Spain into releasing several Americans the Spanish had imprisoned on charges of piracy. Taylor also signed the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty in 1850, which supported Anglo-American cooperation and resulted in an agreement which stated that neither Britain nor America would lay claim to any part of a canal through Nicaragua (Which was planned to happen as many thought a canal through Nicaragua would be the most viable option for a connection between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans at the time). This treaty was the last action by President Taylor.
On July 9th, 1850, Zachary Taylor died at the age of 65 years old. While some believed that he was poisoned by Southern supporters of the expansion of slavery, it is most widely accepted that he died of dysentery as a result of drinking dirty water in the White House.
Top: Zachary Taylor
Second from Top: Battle of Buena Vista
Second from Bottom: Battle of Palo Alto
Bottom: Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Zachary Taylor was born on November 24th, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia, to a family with some important connections. His father was a veteran of the American War of Independence, James Madison was his second cousin, and he was related to William Brewster, one of the settlers sailing on the Mayflower and was a signatory of the Mayflower Compact. After exhausting the local land, Taylor's family moved west to Kentucky, where his father was very successful, owning 10,000 acres of land and 26 slaves. Taylor had no real formal education, and he was near illiterate as a result, with his later military letters having numerous spelling and grammar mistakes as with horrendous handwriting.
In 1808, Taylor joined the American army, and was deployed to Louisiana. Due to no real need for his service at the time, Taylor spent the time to work on his finances, buying a plantation for $95,000 with 83 slaves. In 1812, Taylor was sent to defend Fort Harrison from attacks by Native Americans supported by Britain as a part of the War of 1812. From September 4th to September 15th, Taylor's fifty men, of which 30 were sick, successfully defended an attack led by Tecumseh with his 600 strong Native American force. He had numerous other posts in the War of 1812 until the war's end in 1815 following the Battle of New Orleans. In 1826, he and his family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where had just bought a plantation. Taylor also served in the Black Hawk War from 1828 until 1832 in the Michigan Territory, modern Minnesota, successfully defending against Chief Black Hawk's forces. When he returned to Baton Rouge, Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederate States, married Taylor's daughter. In 1837, Taylor defeated a force of Seminole in the Second Seminole War at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, where he gained the nickname 'Old Rough and Ready'.
In 1844, Taylor was sent to Fort Jesup in Louisiana, in anticipation of a potential Mexican invasion of the neighboring Republic of Texas, which the U.S was presently attempting to annex via treaty. In July 1845, President James K. Polk ordered Taylor and his men to march into disputed Mexican-Texan territory along the Rio Grande River. As Texas was about to be annexed, this territorial despite would soon be a Mexican-American border dispute, and Polk intended to win that territory and much more. In March, 1846, Taylor's force was at the banks of the Rio Grande, which to Mexico was an act of war. On April 25, U.S forces under Seth B. Thornton were attacked by Mexican forces north of the Rio Grande. This event, later to be known as the Thornton Affair, was used by President Polk as a justification for war with Mexico, which he included in his speech to congress asking for war. The U.S declared war on Mexico on May 13th, 1846.
From May 3rd to May 9th, the Mexican army laid siege to Fort Texas near the Rio Grande with 1,600 men and 14 artillery pieces against only 500 U.S troops with no artillery. Taylor moved his forces from nearby Fort Polk to relieve the siege, but the Mexican general Mariano Arista learned of Taylor's movement and aimed to intercept his forces. On May 8th, 1846, Zachary Taylor's Army of Occupation came into contact with Mariano Arista's Army of the North at the Battle of Palo Alto. While Taylor's force of 2,288 men with 8 artillery pieces were outnumbered by Arista's force of 3,709 men with 14 artillery pieces, Taylor was able to achieve victory. The principle reason for the victory by the U.S was the use of Flying Artillery invented by Samuel Ringgold. Flying Artillery was a military doctrine where instead of artillery being static and in place the entire battle, the artillery is horse drawn, carried from place to place, and operating within one or two minutes. Despite having less artillery and men than the Mexicans, the Mexicans ultimately retreated from the field. 102 Mexicans died in the battle with 129 wounded while only 4 Americans died in the battle (One of which was Samuel Ringgold himself) with 48 wounded. This battle made Zachary Taylor a national hero. On May 9th, Taylor pursued Arista's retreating forces at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, where Taylor's 1,700 men defeated 4,000 Mexicans. 33 Americans died with 89 wounded and the Mexicans lost 154 men with 205 wounded. After the battle, Taylor did a prisoner exchange with Arista. Following Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, the Mexicans retreated from the North of the Rio Grande.
Taylor and his army crossed the Rio Grande and moved toward the city of Monterrey. Considered impregnable, Taylor's 6,220 men fought against the 7,303 Mexican troops under General Pedro de Ampudia at the Battle of Monterrey in hard fought urban warfare from September 21st to September 24th 1846. Taylor lost 120 men and had 368 wounded troops by the end of the battle while Ampudia's force had 367 killed or wounded. Taylor came to a compromise with the Mexicans: A two month armistice between both sides as well as an American takeover of the city of Monterrey in exchange for allowing the Mexicans to peacefully evacuate. While Taylor was criticized for the armistice, he took the city of Monterrey as a result.
After Monterrey, most of Taylor's force was relocated to aid in Winfield Scott's future siege of Veracruz in late 1846 and early 1847, leaving him with only around 4,750. By this time, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, former Mexican war hero and dictator, had returned to Mexico from his exile in Cuba with the aid of the Americans as he initially promised to help sign an advantageous peace with the United States but he ended up serving on behalf of the Mexican army. Upon becoming a general in the Mexican army, Santa Anna realized Taylor's current weakness, and moved North to attack his remaining force. Santa Anna's 15,142 troops launched an attack on Taylor's force of 4,750 near the village of Buena Vista south of Taylor's base at Saltillo on February 22nd, 1847. Despite being outnumbered 3:1, Taylor's force held, mostly due to the use of superior artillery. Santa Anna ultimately withdrew from the field on February 23rd, after being recalled back to Mexico City to put down a rebellion. The Americans lost 267 men with 387 wounded while the Mexicans lost 591 men and 1,048 wounded. Taylor's victory at Buena Vista prevented the Mexicans under Santa Anna from moving North to recapture territory Taylor had already conquered. After Buena Vista, Santa Anna did not launch another attack North, instead focusing on Winfield Scott's forces advancing westward from Veracruz.
Taylor came home to Baton Rouge from the war in November 1847 to a hero's welcome. Taylor's success in the Mexican War catapulted him to the presidency in the 1848 presidential election despite initially rejecting the idea. Running as a Whig candidate with Millard Fillmore as vice president, he won the White House. While only serving as president from March 4th, 1849 to July 9th, 1850, he still had some accomplishments of note. His administration formed the Deseret Territory in the West for the Mormon population and Taylor promised religious freedom and overall autonomy. His solution for the question of the expansion of slavery in the West was that California and other acquired territories from the Mexican War be admitted to the Union as free states. He also dealt with some of the first major calls for secession from the Union, but he was heavy handed in dealing with the issue, even threatening to hang his son in law, Jefferson Davis. Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, with Henry Clay drafting the Compromise of 1850. Taylor wouldn't live long enough to veto or pass it, however. His administration gave moral support to the Hungarian and German liberal revolutionaries in Europe despite not giving any other sort of support. One of the major occurrences of his presidency was Narcisco Lopez's revolt in Cuba. Narcisco Lopez was a Venezuelan revolutionary who attempted to conquer the island of Cuba and hand it over to the U.S. Taylor did not support his action and as a result blockaded Cuba and took Lopez prisoner. He and his men were eventually acquitted, however, and Taylor successfully pressured Spain into releasing several Americans the Spanish had imprisoned on charges of piracy. Taylor also signed the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty in 1850, which supported Anglo-American cooperation and resulted in an agreement which stated that neither Britain nor America would lay claim to any part of a canal through Nicaragua (Which was planned to happen as many thought a canal through Nicaragua would be the most viable option for a connection between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans at the time). This treaty was the last action by President Taylor.
On July 9th, 1850, Zachary Taylor died at the age of 65 years old. While some believed that he was poisoned by Southern supporters of the expansion of slavery, it is most widely accepted that he died of dysentery as a result of drinking dirty water in the White House.
