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Zachary Taylor Timeline

(November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850)

Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. A career military officer known as 'Old Rough and Ready,' he gained national fame as a general in the Mexican-American War before winning the presidency as a member of the Whig Party. Less

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Early Life and Military Career

Zachary Taylor is born in Barboursville, Virginia

Nov 24, 1784

Zachary Taylor was born on a plantation in Orange County, Virginia, to Richard Taylor and Sarah Dabney Strother. His family were prominent planters of English descent, and he would be the third of nine surviving children.

Taylor family moves to Kentucky frontier

1785

While Zachary was still an infant, his family moved west to the Kentucky frontier near Louisville, where his father became a substantial landowner. Taylor grew up with little formal education but developed skills as a farmer and frontiersman.

Image source: Zachary Taylor

Taylor family moves to Kentucky frontier

Taylor commissioned as first lieutenant in the U.S. Army

May 3, 1808

At the urging of relative James Madison, Taylor received a commission as a first lieutenant in the Seventh Infantry Regiment, beginning a military career that would span four decades and define much of his life.

Taylor marries Margaret Mackall Smith

Jun 21, 1810

Taylor married Margaret Mackall Smith of Maryland. The couple had six children together, including future Confederate President Jefferson Davis's wife Sarah Knox Taylor.

Image source: Margaret Taylor

Taylor marries Margaret Mackall Smith

Taylor commands Fort Harrison during the War of 1812

Sep 1812 - Nov 1812

Taylor successfully defended Fort Harrison in Indiana Territory against an attack by Native American forces allied with Tecumseh. His defense earned him a brevet promotion to major, making him the first U.S. Army officer to receive such an honor for battlefield conduct in the war.

Image source: Fort Harrison, Indiana

Taylor commands Fort Harrison during the War of 1812

Taylor resigns commission, later reinstated as colonel

1815 - May 1833

After the War of 1812 ended, the army shrank dramatically and Taylor resigned his commission when he was not restored to his prior rank. He rejoined as a colonel in 1833 after years of farming and serving in lower ranks.

Image source: Zachary Taylor

Taylor resigns commission, later reinstated as colonel

Black Hawk War service under Colonel Henry Dodge

Apr 1832 - Aug 1832

Taylor commanded troops during the Black Hawk War in Illinois and Wisconsin Territory, participating in the campaign that defeated Sauk leader Black Hawk's band and forced their removal west of the Mississippi River.

Image source: Black Hawk War

Black Hawk War service under Colonel Henry Dodge

Daughter Sarah marries Jefferson Davis

Jun 17, 1835

Against Taylor's objections, his daughter Sarah Knox married young army officer Jefferson Davis, her father's subordinate. Tragically, she died of malaria just three months later at Davis's Mississippi plantation.

Image source: Sarah Knox Taylor

Daughter Sarah marries Jefferson Davis

Second Seminole War begins in Florida

Dec 23, 1835

The longest and costliest of the American Indian Wars broke out when Seminoles under Osceola resisted removal from Florida. Taylor would play a central role in the conflict over the following years.

Image source: Second Seminole War

Second Seminole War begins in Florida

Battle of Lake Okeechobee

Dec 25, 1837

Leading about 1,000 troops against Seminole warriors in Florida swamps, Taylor won a costly victory that helped break organized Seminole resistance. He was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the entire Army in Florida.

Image source: Battle of Lake Okeechobee

Battle of Lake Okeechobee

Taylor promoted to major general and given Second Department command

May 1841

Taylor was elevated to major general and took command of the Army's Second Department, headquartered at Fort Smith in Arkansas, overseeing military affairs across the southwestern frontier.

Mexican-American War

Texas annexation raises tensions with Mexico

Mar 1, 1845

Congress passed a joint resolution admitting Texas to the Union, which Mexico viewed as an act of aggression since it still claimed Texas. The move set the stage for war along the disputed southern border.

Image source: Texas annexation

Texas annexation raises tensions with Mexico

Polk orders Taylor to the Rio Grande

Jan 13, 1846

President James K. Polk ordered Taylor to march from Corpus Christi to the mouth of the Nueces River and then to the Rio Grande, positioning American forces in territory claimed by both nations.

Image source: Mexican–American War

Polk orders Taylor to the Rio Grande

Thornton Affair sparks war

Apr 25, 1846

A Mexican cavalry force attacked Captain Seth Thornton's reconnaissance patrol north of the Rio Grande, killing or capturing sixteen Americans. Polk used the incident to declare that Mexico had 'shed American blood upon American soil.'

Image source: Thornton Affair

Thornton Affair sparks war

Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma

May 8, 1846 - May 9, 1846

Taylor's force of roughly 2,300 men defeated larger Mexican armies led by General Mariano Arista in two consecutive battles. His use of 'flying artillery' proved devastatingly effective, and he crossed into Mexico shortly afterward.

Image source: Battle of Palo Alto

Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma

Siege of Fort Texas concludes

May 18, 1846

The American fort on the Rio Grande, defended by Major Jacob Brown, survived a Mexican siege lasting several days. Brown was killed during the bombardment, and the post was renamed Fort Brown in his honor.

Image source: Siege of Fort Texas

Siege of Fort Texas concludes

Capture of Monterrey

Sep 20, 1846 - Sep 24, 1846

Taylor captured the heavily fortified northern Mexican city of Monterrey after fierce urban combat, taking General Pedro de Ampudia's army prisoner. Taylor granted generous armistice terms, angering Polk, who suspected Taylor of political ambitions.

Image source: Battle of Monterrey

Capture of Monterrey

Battle of Buena Vista

Feb 22, 1847 - Feb 23, 1847

With only about 4,600 men, many of them untested volunteers, Taylor repelled General Antonio López de Santa Anna's force of some 15,000 near Saltillo. The stunning victory made Taylor a national hero, celebrated with the rallying cry 'Old Rough and Ready.'

Image source: Battle of Buena Vista

Battle of Buena Vista

Presidency

Gold Rush begins in California

Jan 24, 1848

The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill triggered a massive migration to California. By the time Taylor took office, thousands of prospectors had flooded the region, creating pressure for immediate territorial organization and statehood.

Image source: California Gold Rush

Gold Rush begins in California

Whig Party nominates Taylor for president

Jun 7, 1848 - Jun 9, 1848

The Whig National Convention in Philadelphia nominated Taylor, a political novice who had never voted in a presidential election, on the fourth ballot. Millard Fillmore was chosen as his running mate, with Lewis Cass as the Democratic opponent.

Taylor wins the 1848 presidential election

Nov 7, 1848

Taylor defeated Democrat Lewis Cass, winning 163 electoral votes to Cass's 127 and carrying 47 percent of the popular vote. Former President Martin Van Buren's Free Soil candidacy split Democratic support in New York, proving decisive.

Image source: 1848 United States presidential election

Taylor wins the 1848 presidential election

Zachary Taylor inaugurated as 12th president

Mar 5, 1849

Because March 4 fell on a Sunday, Taylor's inauguration was postponed one day. He refused to be sworn in on the Sabbath and instead took the oath on March 5, becoming president at age 64 without any prior political office.

Image source: Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor inaugurated as 12th president

Taylor urges immediate California statehood

Dec 4, 1849

In his annual message to Congress, Taylor called for California and New Mexico to skip the territorial stage and enter directly as free states, hoping to bypass the sectional fight over slavery expansion that threatened to divide the nation.

Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850

Jan 29, 1850

Senator Henry Clay proposed a package of resolutions to settle disputes between North and South, including California statehood, a stronger fugitive slave law, and popular sovereignty in New Mexico and Utah. Taylor opposed concessions to Southern demands.

Galphin affair scandal embarrasses the administration

Jun 1850 - Jul 1850

Treasury officials approved payment of decades-old interest claims on behalf of the Galphin estate, benefiting Cabinet members' associates. The scandal tarnished Taylor's administration and contributed to tensions within his own party.

Image source: Galphin Affair

Galphin affair scandal embarrasses the administration

Nashville Convention meets to discuss Southern secession

Jun 3, 1850 - Jun 12, 1850

Southern delegates met in Nashville, Tennessee, to coordinate resistance to Northern antislavery agitation, with some radicals openly discussing secession if Congress admitted California as a free state. Taylor vowed to personally lead an army against any secessionist attempt.

Image source: Nashville Convention

Nashville Convention meets to discuss Southern secession

Crisis over New Mexico and Texas boundary dispute

Aug 1850

Texas governor Peter Hansborough Bell threatened to seize Santa Fe and parts of New Mexico claimed by Texas. Taylor sent federal troops to New Mexico and prepared to defend federal authority, bringing the nation close to armed confrontation between Texas and the Union.

Image source: Compromise of 1850

Crisis over New Mexico and Texas boundary dispute

Death and Legacy

Zachary Taylor dies suddenly at the White House

Jul 9, 1850

After attending Fourth of July ceremonies and reportedly consuming large quantities of cherries and iced milk on a hot day, Taylor fell ill with what doctors diagnosed as cholera morbus. He died five days later after just 16 months in office.

Millard Fillmore succeeds Taylor as president

Jul 10, 1850

Vice President Millard Fillmore was sworn in as the 13th president the day after Taylor's death. Unlike Taylor, Fillmore supported the Compromise of 1850, which was passed in September, defusing the immediate sectional crisis.

Image source: Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore succeeds Taylor as president

Taylor buried in Louisville, Kentucky

Jul 13, 1850

Following a grand funeral procession through Washington attended by thousands, Taylor's remains were transported to Louisville and interred in the family cemetery. His gravesite later became part of Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Image source: Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

Taylor buried in Louisville, Kentucky

Key Facts

  1. Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia, though he was raised on the Kentucky frontier.
  2. He spent nearly 40 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of major general and earning the nickname 'Old Rough and Ready.'
  3. Taylor became a national hero after victories at the Battle of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterrey, and Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848).
  4. He was elected the 12th President in 1848 as a Whig candidate, despite having never held elected political office before.
  5. Taylor died suddenly on July 9, 1850, after only about 16 months in office, likely of cholera or acute gastroenteritis, and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.

Source

This Zachary Taylor timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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