Author : UNKNOWN. AUTHOR
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9781330721483
Total Pages : 68 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (214 download)
Book Synopsis The Life of Gen. Zachary Taylor (Classic Reprint) by : UNKNOWN. AUTHOR
Download or read book The Life of Gen. Zachary Taylor (Classic Reprint) written by UNKNOWN. AUTHOR and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-07-04 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Life of Gen. Zachary Taylor The American branch of the family from which he sprang originated with James Taylor, who emigrated to this country from England in the year 1692, and settled in the eastern part of Virginia. It is a singular fact that the eldest sons in a lineal descent have uniformly borne the name of James from this ancestor to the present day. General James Taylor, of Newport, Kentucky, who was Quartermaster General in the army at the time of Hull's surrender, and now eighty years of age, is the oldest living of this direct line of eldest sons, not one of whom has died before the father; and his oldest son being named James, who has also a son of the same name, all in good health, the prospect is still fair for the perpetuation of this peculiarity in the descent of the family name. The collateral branches, springing of course from the younger sons and daughters, have extended to many parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky, and in fact all over the Southern States, even into Texas. Many of our most distinguished men have sprung from this family; among others, James Madison, John Taylor of Carolina, author of several well known political works, Judge Pendleton of Virginia, and Gen. Memucan Hunt. Gen. James Taylor of Newport, who as before stated is now living, and Hubbard and Richard Taylor, younger brothers, emigrated to Kentucky soon after its admission to the Union in 1702. Col. Richard Taylor, the youngest of these brothers, and the father of Zachary, settled near Louisville, and was distinguished for his bravery and military talents. Many instances are preserved in the traditions of that State of his desperate encounters with the savages, and Governor Scott, who was sometimes a little profane, is reported to have said that "if he had to storm the gates of Hell, he should want Dick Taylor to lead the column " He was not only noted for his courage, but was a man of some eminence in the political world, having been a presidential elector in Kentucky for many years, voting for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Clay. He died near Lexington, on the 19th Feb., 1826. The mother of Gen. Taylor was a woman of lofty spirits and educated mind, and distinguished for her many virtues. At the age of six years Zachary was placed under a private tutor, Mr. Elisha Ayres, who is still living at Preston, Connecticut, and says that he remembers his distinguished pupil as being a very active and sensible boy. But little is known of the General's youth, but all accounts agree in describing it as one of rare promise for a military man. He showed a predilection for the exercises and accomplishments of the soldier, and as an instance of his bravery and hardihood it is related that when about seventeen years of age he swam from the Kentucky shore across the Ohio river to the Indiana side and back again without resting, in company with an elder brother, long since dead. The feat was performed in the month of March, when the river was swollen and chill, and far surpasses the famous one of swimming the Hellespont, which is about a mile across, and of delightful temperature. Soon after the affair of the Chesapeake and the Leopard, the excitement against Great Britain had risen to the highest pitch, and everything portending a war with the most powerful kingdom of Europe, in 1808, young Taylor applied for a commission in the Army, and through the influence of his father obtained a Lieutenantcy in the seventh Regiment of Infantry of the United States Army. Before the war broke out in 1812 he had risen to the rank of Captain, and being ordered for service in the western country, he was engaged in repelling the border warfare of the Indians, which immediately succeeded the fall of Detroit and the surrender of Gen. Hull's Army. Captain Taylor was intrusted with the command of Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, having a garrison of about fifty men,
