Zachary Taylor was arguably the most reluctant of our Presidents.
ZT: A Brief Run-Up
Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) was born in Virginia, but grew up near Louisville, when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. His family was relatively prosperous, but young Zachary, rather than opting for a classical education, preferred to learn from his frontier experience, and joined the very nascent US Military in 1804, about the time West Point was being established. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in 1808.
When he married the former Margaret Mackall Smith, the two embarked on a life of frontier army living. They had four children; two died as babies. Like many other army officers with families, they kept their children with them until they were of schooling age – perhaps seven or eight. Then they were brought “east” to stay for their education, under the supervision of caring relatives.
Taylor would later say of his wife and lifelong companion, “she was just as much a soldier as I was.” Coming from him, it was a huge compliment.
The Regular Army was small in the first half of the 19th century, and Taylor’s promotions were steady, rather than spectacular. Nevertheless, he commanded frontier forts, fought in periodic skirmishes, and earned a solid reputation as a good fighter, a good soldier and a good commander. But not spectacular.
The spectacular part came later – in Mexico.
The Trouble With Polk
By the mid-1840s, Texas, a former Mexican territory, fought for its independence, became its own country (briefly), and decided to annex itself to the United States. Statehood followed, but not without controversy.
By 1844, James Knox Polk, a little known former Congressman, former Speaker of the House, and former Tennessee Governor (forget about the political losses), was nominated for President. Texas – and the spread of slavery – had a lot to do with the controversy. It also had a lot to do with the pending War with Mexico two years later. That Polk won against well-known, aging and still formidable Henry Clay was a complete surprise to everyone.
Modern historians rank Polk very highly for accomplishing all his ambitious goals in one brief four year term. But during his own time and presidency, he was far from popular. This was not merely political. It was personal. He was a cold, humorless, stern fellow, said to be a micromanager (in modern terms). He duly named a cabinet, nitpicked their every action, and seldom sought/heeded their advice or counsel.
There was a fair amount of Congressional opposition to his policies as well, but Polk was also inclined to ignore them as much as possible.
When hostilities finally began in Mexico in late 1846, his two main generals, Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor, each had more than forty years of commendable military experience. Their commander-in-chief, had never been in the army. And while Scott and Taylor had a polite but weak personal relationship, they were united on one front: they both disliked Polk, considered him a meddler, and totally lacking in any sort of military acumen or judgement.
That the war was won (albeit it took more than two years and cost some 15,000 American casualties), according to Scott and Taylor, it was believed to be no thanks to their C-in-C.
Perhaps the good news was that President Polk had announced at his inauguration that he would only serve one term – and he hadn’t changed his mind. He also died three months after he retired from office.
The Presidency was up for grabs.
The Weak Whigs
The Democrats, squabbling all the way, had finally nominated one of the weakest candidates they had: Lewis Cass of Michigan. He had a commendable resume, but nothing to stir the imagination of the public. The squabbling Whigs saw an opportunity.
In the late-1840s, the Whig Party was still an amalgam of various unrelated sectional issues, but this time united by their opposition and personal dislike of Polk. Henry Clay still was “available” – but now past seventy, and already a three-time loser. They did not want to lose again!
They had won in 1840 with William Henry Harrison, an old, retired war hero, recycled from the War of 1812. Perhaps another war hero could win again!
General Zachary Taylor had won a couple of against-all-odds victories, making him a Hero. And he was far more malleable (according to the Whigs) than Winfield Scott, who also won a couple of victories. In a time of political crisis over slavery, Taylor, a slave-holder with property in Louisiana, seemed a better choice.
Problem Was…
Taylor wasn’t interested. He was past sixty, and wanted to retire. He had no political affiliations, and had never voted. The Whigs didn’t care. They wooed. They wooed harder and harder. Taylor kept refusing, but the popular undercurrent still persisted.
Taylor, at home in Baton Rouge, began receiving a great deal of mail – not merely from politicians (who he generally disliked), but from interested citizens.
And in those days, sending a letter was usually free; receiving a letter cost money. Perhaps as much as ten-cents, depending on the distance. It was a substantial sum. The old general was a thrifty man, and the costs of accepting unsolicited letters was mounting. He told his local post office that he would not accept any mail that came postage due.
Meanwhile the Whigs were persistent, and Taylor’s hems and haws were weakening. They finally nominated him – and Whig Party Chairman John Moorehead sent a letter to notify him that he was now formally a Whig candidate. Weeks passed and there was no reply. Finally a month passed with no acknowledgement. The worried politicians sent a representative to investigate in person.
According to the National Letter Carriers Association, their letter, along with dozens of others had been consigned to the dead-letter bin. The presidential nominee had to pay some $7.50 to retrieve a huge pile of his unstamped mail.
The Whig nominee of 1848 didn’t accept his nomination until several weeks after the convention!
Sources:
Eisenhower, John S.D. – Zachary Taylor – Times Books, 2008
Merry, Robert W. – A Country of Vast Designs – Simon & Schuster – 2009
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/winfield-scott
Presidential History Blog 
Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
I liked your blog! It simple but the only thing is mine is about “The First Ladies”!