The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-28
JEFFERSON DAVTS'S ROMANCE.
HIS RUNAWAY MATCH WITH CEN.
iTAYLOR'S DAUGHTER.

nc Occurred when the Future Presidents Of
the United states and Of the Confed-
eRacY were in the Army -Rcc0ncaled
o BuenA vista'S Victorious Battlefield.
An episode In the early life OF Jefferson
Davis. which occurred when he was a young
Second Lieutenant in the army and about
which the friends OF the Taylor family
were as 10th to speak as was he himself,
was HE runaway match with Sarah Taylor,
daughter OF Gen. Zachary Taylor, after
ward President Of the United States. 1t
occurred while Gen. Taylor, then a Colonel
In tho United States Army, and Lieut.. Da Wis
were stationed at Fort Crawford, Prairie
du Chen, Wis; Col Taylor being in COM
mand Of the garrison.
Lieut.. Davis was graduated from West
Point In 1928. and was assigned TO service
in an infantry regiment then stationed at
| Fort Crawford. Prairie du Chen, one Of
the Oldest settlements In the United States.
was at that time In the Territory OF Miohi-
gan; but was afterward Incorporated in
the new State OF Wisconsin.
Col Taylor when he went TO command
at Fort Crawford had already earned for
himself the nickname Of Old Rough and
Ready, for be had been engaged In frontier
fighting almost from che time he Joined the
army after leaving West Point. Though
noted throughout the country as a soldier.
he was q man OF domestic tastes and was
deeply attached 10 his family. Because OF
the fact that since his own marriage he had
had no permanent abiding place, he was
opposed to the idea OF his daughters marry
ing army officers.
Mrs. Taylor was also averse to the idea.
A Maryland woman by birth, she was also
extremely domestic in her tastes, with no
liking for display oil social prominence,
and she wanted her daughters when they
married to have settled homes. Her idea
Of happiness was to be a Southern matron
at the head Of a home, OF which the master
should be a planter or a statesman.
Gen. Taylor, too, had a great admiration
for business men, and thought It a great
mistake for young men to enter the army
II they could follow a business or profess
sional career. Therefore. when young Lieut..
Davis came wooing Miss Taylor he was given
10 understand that her parents were
unalterably opposed TO army officers as
husbands.
The commandments home was the centre
VI AliC III AAoAAbO VIZ htNA AAAd DOlll
OF the daughters OF the house we're much
admired. Sarah, the second daughter,
was still in her teens when she fell in love
with Lieut.. Davis. Her sister Ann was
afterward married TO a Maryland gentle
man named Wood.
Lieut.. Davis and Miss Sarah Taylor be-
came engaged. and. as tradition afirms,
they made a runaway marriage, seizing
the opportunity for so doing when Col.
Taylor was absent from the post on mill
tary duty.
A man who afterward became widely
known in Wisconsin. Daniel r. Burt, was
a pioneer OF that State. and at the time that
Col. Taylor was the oommandant at Fort
Crawford lived on the post road between
Fort Crawford and Galena. about midway
between the two places.
He often spoke OF the runaway match,
for il was at his house hat the couple passed
the night after their departure from che
fort. His story was as follows:
Il had just finished my chores one winter
night and was returning to the house when
/ heard the sound of bells approaching from
the direction OF Fort Crawford. / stopped,
with my foot on the doorstep, and in a mo-
ment out OF the woods came a rude sleigh
drawn by one horse in which were Sc ated
a gentleman and lady.
They pulled up before the house, and
the gentleman in quick sharp tones asked
IL they could stay all night. The latch
string was always out and l invited them
to walk right in.
THE invitation was quickly accepted,
while l took the horse, which showed signs
of having been driven fast and far, to the
stables. After seeing that the animal was
well cared for I returned to the house
where Mrs. Burt nae made the travellers
at home.
"A traveller at any time was a godsend
as but few people came out to the back
woods in those days, and from the bearing
OF this young traveller l took him to be a
gentleman and soon came TO the conclusion
that he was an army of1c His COM
panion was a young and very pretty girl
Both seemed somewhat nervous and con-
strained.
Contrary to usual custom, they avoided
conversation except to say they were
relatives en- route to Galena. To any and
all my questions the young officer replied
briefly and in a noncommittal way.
The couple retired early and were up
and of soon after daylight. From a few
remarks dropped in my hearing I arrived
at the conclusion that IL it was not an elope-
ment it was something very like it. I
knew there were no army posts nearer
than Fort Crawford, and assumed that
the pair came from there.
Il afterward learned that my surmise
was correct and that the couple were Lieut..
Jef Davis and Miss Taylor, the daughter
OF old Rough and Ready. So far as /
could learn afterward, Col. Taylor was
not sufficiently impressed with Davis to
desire him as a son-in-law and refused his
consent to the marriage OF the young couple.
The elopement followed.
The pair had expected to reach Galena
the same night. Knowing Col. Taylor's
energetic ways it was no wonder they were
nervous over their delay at my house.
They were not followed, pursuit having
been turned in another direction
The traditions Of the army are that when
Col. Taylor returned from his trip and heard
OF the elopement he expressed his disappro-
hation in unmeaaured farms He Dara;stoI