Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-08-04

General IaylOrs fist exploit in military life.
beyond the ordinary iruiuing Of frontier rife.
nan, was The enrolling Of himself as private
10 volunteer company raised and held in rea. 4
illness during q portion Of 1867, 70 resist 4
hc supposed reasonable designs Of Aaron Burr
aud his assOciules-whOss movements then Gre. I
itcd great alarm in Kentucky.
Zachary had returned home. and was uctive. .
Iy engaged assisting his ialher onihe farm, when |
intelligence was received Uf the deaIh Of an Ell. /,
der brother, who then held acommission as Lieu. /
tenant inthe army. Thomas Jefferson, then Pre-
siden', commissioned young Zachary to fll this
vacancy, on the 81 Of May, l8O8-he then hay.
ing completed his twenty third year. His life
has ever slnce-now over a period OF fory
yCars-been devoted, in the most dangerous aud
exposed situations, to the service Of his country.
| have no doubt that before his next birth day
arrives--lhe Gath of Nov. nexl--he will be Pres
dent elect Of the United States.
On his being commissioned, he was ordered
on duty 10 New Orleans, aud there narrowly es-
caPod death by a severe auack Of yellow fever.
He returned TO Kentucky 10 recruit his health,
and was there married in 1910. Shortly there.
after, he was ordered, under the direction Of
General Harrison, then Governor Of the North
Western Territory. TO erect block house and
Suckade on the Wabash River, subsequently,
known as Fort Harrison. Our relations with
Great Britain were now becoming threatening,
and President Madison, approaching Lieutenant
Tsylors ability, conferred upon him Captains
commission, aud the command Of Fort Hani-
son.
The Indians Of that vicinity were entirely un.
der the control of British emissaries, from whom,
even before the declaration ofwar, they had pro.
cured urms and ammunition. Captain Taylor
had, therefore. 10 protect himself against thai
most formidable Of all enemies-exaspernte
savages, possessed Of arms Of civilzalion.-
Their passions had been reused 10 madness by
the eloquent appeals Of Tecumseh and the Pro.
phet, calling upon them 10 rally and exlerminale
these hateful n,ruders upon eirhuntingg grounds.
Thus armed and excited, several hundred In.
dams coneregaled to attack Fort Harrison, and
to massacre It's garrison-two thirds Of whom
were unable to shoulder their muskets. Captain
Taylor was not entirely recovered from an at.
tack Of The prevailing fever.
lie had only from 10 to 20 mon able to per-
form military duly. Even when thus situated,
the Indians attempted TO gain their object by du.
plicity and cunning. white flag was sent to
Captain Taylor, with professions of friendship,
his vigilance however, was MOTTO be thus over.
come.
At 4 o'clock at night, on the 4th of Septem-
Der, 1919, the Indians having set fire TO por-
lion Of the works, attempted 10 carry the fort by
storm. The intrepid Taylor and his little band
conquered the fire, and during long hours, man.
fully and successfully resisted force. at least
thirty times their own. Here, on a smaller scale
was displayed that GOODNESS. energy. and hero
ism, which equally with his calmness, amidst
the cannon's roar on the field of Buena Vista
proclaim, thai Taylor never surrenders.
His successful defence was characterized by
his Commanding General as ",he firm and al.
most unparalleled defence Of Fort Harrison, by
Captain Zachary Taylor, has raised for him
fabric OF character not TO be efIaced by cuOgy."
President Madison marked his estimate Of this
defence, by comforting upon Taylor the rank OF
Major, by broveI. the Oldest instance of this in
our army. and never more worlhily bestowed.
| Major Taylor remained in the command Of For
Harrison, protecting our positions, and overaw.
ing the Indians Of the Northwest, until the close
of the war.
During the long period or peace which ensu-
ed, Major Taylor was stationed at Green bay
Prarie du Chen, and in fact, almost every re.
mote and exposed frontier post in the northwest
and southwest. No officer of the army ha,
probably spent 50 much of his time in such ex
posed situations. Taylor, however, always dis
charged his duty and never surrendered.
He superinended the erection OF Forts Jes
n f,r1 nd IoN lie IIn
n member Of n commission in 1926, over which
Gen. Scott presided, of distinguished army off
GERS, 10 prepare a system for the better organiza
lon Of the Militia of the 4. S. He was a mem
her Of numerous Cour MartiaIs, and always Sc
ecled, as stated by General Gibson, to druw "
the opinion Of the Courl. This was on accoun
of that simplicity, precision, and elegance o
language, which have since marked his officia
dispatches in his Mexican Campaign, and which
for classic purity of style. have not been sur
passed since Cesar wrote his Commentaries.
This is accounted for by The fact. that he ha
ever been not only brave soldier. but also
most inde(atigabe student in all his intervals o
active service. A writer in the Literary World
thus notices him: "as plain Lieut.. Col. Taylor
| have often seen him putting his men through
'hC OdA'dllOu OIllls Ol llC HOlNHtIIl udHhS VI
Wisconsin, in the depth of February. Thi
would seem only characteristic of the man whC
has since proved himself equally rough and rea
dy under the scorching sun ofthe tropics. But
looking.back through long years to many plea
SAINT hour spent in the well selected library ofth
post which Colonel Taylor then commanded
we were moved with singular interest to the a
greeable conversations held in the room whicl
was the Colonel's favorte resort amid The inter
walls of duty"
In 1831-'32, Col. Taylor was actively enga
ged in that contest in the Northwest, known q
the Black Hawk War. He commanded the reg
ulars in the last desperate struggle with the In
dians near the stream called the Broad Axe, i
August, 1882, which resulted in the conques
surrender and submission of all the warriors as
sociated under that renowned Chief. An inc
dent characteristic of Col. Taylor's promptnes
ond 1acieiOn occurrad IN tho oure,;t Of Tho II