The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-05-28
BRIEF HISTORY OF
ZACHARY TAYLOR

county. Virginia, September "a. 1884.
II is wonderful to note how many
men In our country made great
names, who were born when the war
for Independence was raging or just
after its close. Evidently the souls OF
their parents were all enlisted in the
great cause out Of which nation
emerged, founded on a plan which II
chung to would give equal opportuni.
ties under its flag, Zachary Taylor
was one of these. The picture Of his
face looking up to 1t as It is suspend
ed on the wall OF our country's his.
tory, contains nothing to attract at
tention save its resemblance to some
OF the great Indian chieftains who
for two hundred and sixty years and
more, from time to time made their
impossible fight against the pale fac.
ed invader upon their territory. Dress
the picture in Indian costume with
the head dress OF quilts and feathers
and 1t would pass for King Philip or
Red Cloud, or the great Shawnee.
General Taylor was not a great
raptain in any scientific sense, but
he was d great fighter of the kind that
1ever knows when he is beaten.
He was generally stationed on the
frontier and his fighting was against
savages until the Mexican war came
on. He was then sixty-two years Of
age but he never thought OF retiring.
He did not believe that we ought to
have & war with Mexico, but he was
an American soldier, c.d with him
it was not to question why and IL in
doing that he was to die, that with
him would have been but an incident.
He was sent with an army to the Rio
Grsnde frontier of Texas. His was
but little army but the material in
it was marvellous.
or the old army officers he had
Generals Wool and Worth and 9TH
ers, while of the younger set a splen-
did array was present eager to make
names.
Then aside from a few regulars
there we're state regiments and all
these we're determined that their par
ticular state should bear off the high
est honors. Many of these were kill
ed in the first two battles, perhaps
the most famous one being colonel
Ringold. In those battles South Car.
DINA claimed first honors. Then Gen
eral Taylor moved against Monterey.
There a stubborn resistance AWAIT
ed them. They had to take the city
street by street, the enemy opposing |
them in front and fighting, too, from
the fiat house tops as they did the
other day at Vera Cruz. An old black
church with three foot adobe walls
held out two or three days after
the balance OF the city was taken.
That church was finally taken one
morning by General Worth with
regiment of regulars and the New
York volunteers. There was no large
sacrifice Of life. the church was taken
by Worth's strategy and the superb
discipline of his command. Il
The eliminating battle under Gen
eral Taylor was Buena Vista. There
in the open field he was opposed by
an enemy that outnumbered his army
four and a half to one. The battle
lasted all day. Early in the day old
General Wool in full old fashioned
uniform, with the epaulets and white
plumed hat as striking as was that Of
rode along the lines crying
to the men: This is Washington's
men, no enemy can defeat
US on that day"
At Thymbria, the first pitched bat
tie descended in history, the account
say that the signal of the opening OF
the battle by the Persians was the
chanting of the battel hymn.
At Buena Vista the bands played
the Star Spangled Banner.