McGuffey, Robert.

Zachary Taylor was born near Barboursville, Orange County, Virginia, on November 24, 1784. Joining the United States Army in 1808, he served in the War of 1812 and in the numerous Indian wars that followed. Rising to the rank of major general, Taylor won decisive victories at Monterrey and Buena Vista during the Mexican War, becoming a national hero and the victorious Whig Party candidate for President in the 1848 election. Inaugurated on March 4, 1849, Taylor only served part of his term of office before dying, probably of heat stroke, on July 9, 1850.