Lot 392

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Description:

President Taylor Recalls His Military Service on the Wisconsin Frontier in Rare Letter as President

ZACHARY TAYLOR, Letter Signed, to Sylvester Graham, November 5, 1849, Washington, D.C. 1 p., 8ʺ x 10ʺ. Expected folds; strong, dark signature; very good.

In this brief letter, President Zachary Taylor writes to Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer Sylvester Graham about his military service in the 1830s and his memories of Captain Many. Taylor recollects that Many was stationed at Fort Winnebago on the Wisconsin River, north of modern Madison, Wisconsin, when Taylor arrived there from Fort Crawford near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, approximately one hundred miles to the southwest of Fort Winnebago.

After the War of 1812, Taylor commanded Fort Howard at Green Bay, Michigan Territory (now Wisconsin), for two years, then returned to Louisville, Kentucky, and his family. After several years of duty in Louisiana and recruiting duty, he returned to Michigan Territory to command Fort Crawford from 1829 to 1837. While there, Taylor played an active role in the Black Hawk War, which concluded with Black Hawk’s surrender to Taylor at Fort Crawford. In April 1832, Taylor received a promotion to colonel of the 1st U.S. Infantry regiment. Although Taylor opposed the courtship of his daughter and Lieutenant Jefferson Davis (not wanting her to become a military wife), the two eloped to Kentucky and wed in June 1835, but she died three months later. In 1837, Taylor was directed to report to Florida during the Second Seminole War. Brevet Brigadier General George M. Brooke assumed command at Fort Crawford in July 1837 and remained in command except for short absences to 1840. During those absences, Captain William Alexander, Captain A. S. Hooe, or Lieutenant C. C. Sibley commanded the post.

Taylor may have been mistakenly referring to James B. Many (ca. 1775-1852), who entered the army in 1798, and was promoted to captain in 1804 and to major in 1813. Many was promoted to colonel of the 3rd U.S. Infantry regiment in July 1834, but he served primarily in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It remains unclear whom Taylor was recollecting.

Complete Transcript

(Private)
Washington, Nov 5, 1849
Sir,
In reply to your communication of Octo. 17, I have to state that to the best of my recollection, Captain Many was stationed at Fort Winnebago in 1835 or 1836, when I marched to that post from – Fort Crawford, & afterwards came to Fort Crawford when his Regiment relieved the 1st Infantry, then under orders for Florida. On both these occasions it is more than probable that I met with Mrs Many, and although I do not recollect her, she may very well retain some remembrance of me.
Hoping that this answer may prove satisfactory I remain with respect
Yr. friend & obt. Servt.
Z. Taylor.
Sylvester Graham Esq
Northampton Mass

Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) was born in Virginia and in 1810 married Margaret Smith, with whom he had six children. In 1808, Taylor joined the army with a commission as a first lieutenant. During the War of 1812, he successfully defended a fort in Indiana Territory from an attack by Native Americans. By 1819, he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he served in the Black Hawk War in Illinois and in the Second Seminole War in Florida. His Christmas Day victory at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee in 1837 gained him promotion to brigadier general. After posts in Florida and Arkansas, Taylor was posted to Louisiana in anticipation of the annexation of Texas. Although Winfield Scott and Edmund P. Gaines were more senior generals, they were closely identified with the Whig Party, and Democratic President James K. Polk selected the apolitical Taylor for the task. Taylor moved his forces to near Corpus Christi, Texas, before advancing to the Rio Grande in March 1846. During the Mexican War, Taylor led his army to victories at the Battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and Monterrey. After many of his troops were transferred to the command of General Winfield Scott, he successfully resisted an attack by the Mexicans at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847. As a career army officer, Taylor had not been involved in politics, but the Whigs nominated him as their presidential candidate in 1848. He defeated Democrat Lewis Cass and Free Soil candidate Martin Van Buren to win the presidency and took office in March 1849. His brief presidency was marked by preparations for the admission of California as a state, the organization of Utah as a territory, and the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 with Great Britain to construct a canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Nicaragua. Taylor died suddenly in Washington on July 9, 1850, and Vice President Millard Fillmore became president.

Sylvester Graham (1794-1851) was born in Connecticut and was often sick as a child. He attended Amherst Academy in the 1820s to become a minister, but was expelled for inappropriate behavior. His expulsion caused a nervous breakdown, and he recovered in Rhode Island, where he met and married Sarah Earle. He studied theology privately and began work as an itinerant preacher in 1828 in New Jersey. In response to the cholera pandemic in Europe, Graham began to advocate vegetarianism and emphasized eating whole-grain bread and abstaining from the consumption of alcohol. Grahamism became a movement, and others began to develop and market graham flour, graham crackers, and graham bread, though Graham did not invent these products. He died of complications after receiving opium enemas on the advice of his doctor.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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