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k 11'M!tlvk'J*■\4)* - r•-ti r lt;i ‘• «...*sIiVA-j;kVv%£««W*By I* »ty.ij*wsaCSv£BBS*v«Y*'-.* *'■as‘ft•xi;^v.•A\l»w1L-\mm.w^Acm^rzmzazL*Wg25—SsjgrfRJctrr2M T3Neglected Grave iifGen. Zachary TayloruyjjfiiDtfliIs to fae RestnredIi*»•■™5P ‘If T:r,iwo*V.VJWrfBy JOHN DICKINSON SHERMANitsSK,HE United States la about to take over the care of the burial ground of Gen, Zachary Taylor, twelfth President. He died In the White House July 9, 1850, after giving his country more than forty years of service. If It be admitted that It Is the duty of the nation to see that the burial places of Its .Presi-dents are cared for, congress has long ' heglected this duty :ln the -case of “Old Rough and Ready.”Upon the death of President Taylor bis remains were interred in the Congressional burial, ground (Christ Church cemetery), Washington. In accordance withhis wlsb,sthey were transferred, to the old* Taylor homestead near Louisville, Ky; The State fot Kentucky ereqted., years ago, a handsome .memorial’’'near the burial vault. But no provision has ever been made for the, adequate and permanent care of the'grounds. Long ago the...homestead...passed...9.1.the Taylor family. The State of Kentucky now bolds title, with some private interest, In five acres about the burial vault.The 7 groii rid s~ 1 \e~nmt ~ the; Brown s-boro road, an important .thoroughfareof Jefferson county; A halfrmlle-jsoad-*way leads to them; It has been recently Improved by the county. The Louisville Outdoor league purposes to plant this roadway and make It .a “Zachary Taylor Memorial lane.”The last congress passed *a resolution appropriating $10,000 for %the care, maintenance and Improvement of the burial grounds and directingthe secretary of war. to establishthereon a national cemetery. The precedent for the latter is the Andrew Johnson National cemetery of fifteen acres, established by congress in~1906. .So we shalUhave the Zachary Taylor National cemetery, maintained by the United States government.Zachary Taylor deserved well of hiscountry. He was bom in Orange county, Va. His father was Col. Richard Taylor, an officer in the Revolution. He was a descendant of Elder William Brewster of Mayflower and Plymouth fame. The Taylors moved to Kentucky In 1785. In 1808 at theage of twenty-four Zachary was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Seventh infantry, a new regiment in 1812, as major, he defended Fort Harrison (near Terre Haute, Ind.) against Indians * and was breveted major. In 1815, when the army was reduced to 10,000 menv he resigned Major Taylor was, however, Induced to return to the army as {lieutenant colonel In command of Fort SnelUng. The Black Hawk Indian war of 1832 found him In command of Fort Crawford at Prairie du Chien, Wls. In cl- dentally, It was to Colonel Taylor that Black Hawk surrendered after the' second campaign. . * ; 'Chp Black.. Hnyk war . was, only , a:so-called war, but It has an interest all Its own In that It brought together historic personages. Gen. Winfield• i * . rScott took command. At Fort Cr a\v:. . ford with Colonel Tay’for. was Lieut. Jefferson Davis. And In Col. Samuelfj-iv K lt;■ ‘^4 V* : 's v_,; V inf; *' /TVj*Thompson's regiment of Illinois volunteers was Capt. Abraham Lincoln.Jefferson Davis (1808-89) was a West Point graduate of 1828. After the close of the Black Hawk hostilities he eloped from Fort Crawford with Sarah, the oldest daughter of Colonel Taylor. A little later he, as an engineer, made a survey of the Chicago and CafUmet rivers, the federal government having decided to establish a harbor , on the west shore for the fast-growing schooner truffle of Lake Michigan. Da vis recommended CalUmet, his. chief reason l)elng that Lake Calumet could be made a land-locked harbor for the mainte-..nance.-.of.-ji fleet...fa..be.~nsed..-aga Inst.Canada. No, you will not find this In the histories. And. the trick by which Chicago finally won over' Calumet isstill another story.~ Davis left the army in 1835 to become a cotton .planter in Mississippi. In 1845 he was elected to congress, but resigned to get into' the |dexican war as colonel of a Mississippi regiment. He fought under General Taylor at Monterey at Bueno Vista; In the latter battle he displayed great gallantry and was —wounded. From 1847 to 1851 Davis was in the senate. Then he served as secretary of *war under President Pierce. uThe year 1857 found him back In the senate and In 1861 he resigned to go with the South and to become president of the Confederacy.Abraham Lincoln was twenty-three when the Black Hawk war broke out.* He responded to the call for volunteers by the governor of Illinois. The “boys” insisted upon electing him captain and away he marched. You have, of course, read of his amusing experiences. But did you know that' once he was under arrest for firingoff his pistol, contrary to regulations?And did you know that he had to wear a wooden sword for. .two, jltra^ while under arrest because some of his men stolorSvhisky an^d got drunk. And did you^know that he saved the life of an old - Indian, who surrendered, from a crowd of bloodthirsty soldiers? And did you know that he demanded the same food for.. Ids men that the regulars got and bluffed the army officers Into giving It?And herb’s another thing that you will not find in all the histories. After-.Captain Lincoln’s company hadftben disbanded Ptfawa, IU;r Lin~coin enlisted as a private In the “Independent Spy company.” Just what services *he rendered as n spy is1 unknown to this writer. Re was, how-.ev^r,discharged•• at.. -White . Water,*• VVls. A fhlef stole, his horse. He had to make an Inglorious return to New Salem by foot, by camde and by timber raft.Colonel Taylor, after the Black Hawk war, took command of ourrforces in Florida, where the Seminote war was on. He wound up that war by defeating the Indians at the Battle of Okeechobee. In 1840 he was put in command of the southern, division of the army and'moved; his. home to Baton Rouge, La.In 1846, upon the breaking out of the Mexican war; Brigadier; General Taylor was ordered to * the Rio Grande. On two successive days, he fought arid won the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma and* d^ared the lower valley of the Rio Grande. Next he marched to Nueve Leon and fought a series of battles, ending, jri the eanie year, with the.captur.e.^.of ...Munter.ey N.Qtwltbstaud:..ing the fact that, under orders from his government, he had sent his bep troops to reinforce General Scott, who was invading Mexico by the way of Vera Cruz, he pursued Santa Ana and, with a much inferior force, defeated that Mexican commander at the Bat-tie of Buena Vista May 23, 1847, This important victory was followed. by the Mexican campaign of General Scott which ended with the capture of the City’ of Mexico September 14, 1847i which virtually ended the war. Peace between the t%vo countries was declared February 2, 1848. This war confirmed the annexation of Texas and also brought Into the Unitedi . .. • . vStates California and Nevada, most of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and a part of Colorado.General Taylor’s way of “treatin’ ’em rough”, and his readiness to fight the Mexicans under any and all conditions earned hipi the title of “Old Rough and Ready.”. His brilliant victories made him a popular hero. There was” an insistent demand foi him for the. Presidency. Taylor him self was not enthusiastic. He said: “If the people want me to. be President, I shall, serve, but I shall do pothing to get the office.” He was elected by the Whigs over the Democrat, Lewis Cass of Michigan,,Tayior married Margaret . Smith In 1810, when he was a young captain She was ever his companion and' helpmeet wherever he wa stationed;• fr • * *When he was' elected President she said it-was l‘a plot to depri ve her of her _ husband’s society and to shorten bis life by unnecessary care.” She had no sbclnl aspirations. She refused to take any part In the social life of ’thB'^WlitoeV): House and • turned the duties of hostess over to her youngest daughter, the wjfe of Maj. W. W S. Bliss. “Migs Betty” was the youngest hostess the White House ever saw.■ As*for’*MrsrTaylorr she|)ut*'gas*'in'the *White * House and kepts everything spick and span. She reserved for herself a few rooms out* of the way. where she could knit and smoke her corncob pipe In peace and think up things for the comfort, of her husband.Two last st couplec•prove ( in ecctlrnt insignalSets tl faithfu out au best p( er rad Prob tube s tortion trained Why si Tubes ever b one tv well ai is so I ford s flve-tu! cult isThe fli*amplifi eratedregtilai couplec The It tubes tlast sti Dlstc causes, stray the au often r today, ployed, pense,paralle the loaIV. 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Newspaper Details
Vian American
Vian, Oklahoma, US
Fri, Jun 26, 1925
Page 6
Full Page
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Misty C.
NA, 31 Mar 2022
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Vian American
