Zachary Taylor ("Old Rough and Ready"/"Old Zack"): (1784 - 1850)
     He was the son of  Lt.Col.Richard Taylor  & Sarah Pannill Dabney Strother, born in Virginia and raised on a plantation in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He married Margaret (Peggy) Mackall Smith (daughter of Walter Smith & Ann Mackall) in 1810 and their children were: Ann Margaret Mackall (1811, Kentucky-1875, Kentucky) (married Robert Crooke Wood), Sarah Knox (1814/15, Ft.Knox, Missouri Terr.-1835, Ms.) (married Jefferson Davis in 1835), Octavia Pannel (1816, Kentucky-1820, Louisiana), Margaret Mackall "Peggy" Smith (1819, Kentucky-1820, Louisiana), Mary Elizabeth "Betty" (1824, Kentucky-1879, Kentucky) (married William Bliss in 1848) & Richard (1826,Kentucky-1879, N.Y.) (married Louise Marie Myrthe Bringier about 1851),
     His career in the Army lasted 40 years with more than half of that time policing the western frontier. In 1808 he was commissioned a 1st.Lieutenant of the infantry. He was a captain  defending Fort Harrison  (Indiana Territory) in 1812 and became the first brevet in U.S. Army history. In 1814 he led an attack up the Mississippi River against British and Native allies but was forced to withdraw due to overwhelming opposition. In 1832 he fought in the Black Hawk War and was at the Battle of Bad Axe. From 1837 to 1840 he was fighting the Seminoles in Florida Territory and during that period became a Brigadier General. In 1846 he led an invasion of Texas with over 2,000 troops, encountering Mexican Gen. Mariano Arista's army with twice the invading force in numbers. In the encounter the Mexican army retreated across the Rio Grande and Taylor became a national hero (and given the rank of Major General). Later that fall his forces grew to three times his original number and he set out to attack the Mexican city of Monterrey. Gen.Pedro de Ampudia defended the city with roughly the same number of troops but after a three day siege the city fell to the Americans. Largely through Taylors efforts Texas was given up in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Politically he was a Whig and strong nationalist who was anti separation even though he owned about 100 slaves himself. He ran for President as the Whig candidate against Lewis Cases who ran as the Democratic candidate (advocating "squatter sovereignty") and Martin Van Burin the "Free Soil Party" candidate. Burin received votes thought to have been taken from Cases and Taylor was elected as the 12th President of the U.S. In February 1850 when Southern leaders met with Taylor and threatened to secede from the Union, Taylor told them that he would personally lead the Army to enforce the laws. Zachary died in office in1850.
 

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