Show ZACR TAYLOR AIJ HI WIFE 1 I Mrs Jefferson Davis Corrects Some Recent Misstatements GEN TAYLORS BOYHOOD Interesting Pictures of OldTime Pea r II pie and Their Ways I I Instead of a Simple Old Woman Saiok lug Her Pipe and Bemoaning Her Fate Mrs Taylor Was a Refined I and Elegant Lady i HE liberty ol the I press is one of tho sacred rights of freemen S P free-men but liberty j I trenches on license I ei when such an article I as the following is uttered by a conservative 11 I conser-vative and dignified monthly magazine A person who signs j himself G H Yenowine in its December number of 1892 has an article on Louisville I Louis-ville at the end of which is the following I i follow-ing libel upon several of General Taylors family and notably upon his wife The i 5 S S s s S GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR attack on the Taylor family did not most the eye of their friends until after it had deeply wounded and incensed the children chil-dren and grandchildren of tho heroic old expresident After setting forth that Mary Anderson was born in Louisville etc the writer goes on thus The parents of President Zachary Tayloi were Virginians but they settled near the present pres-ent city of Louisville about the year 1785 It happened that Zachary Taylor was born in k1 Virginia but was brought to Louisville when he wag only a month or two old and he grew tc I manhood working on his fathers farm Old residents have interesting reminiscences of 4 President Taylor and his wife 1 I Mrs Taylor seems to have been Tory domestic 1 TJ 810 mestic abhorring i all forms of society She was almost crazed with grief when she learned thai she was to live in the White House Alter 1 1 Al-ter the inauguration she retired to one room where she spent all of her time refusing to see callers Until shortly before her husbands death she lived tho life of a recluse and it Is s I related that the poor simple old woman cat 1 her day sad after fate day Many smokingher people pipe are and yet bemoaning alive who I claim to have seen her calmly puffing an old clay pipe Her oldest daughter eloped and 1 married Jefferson Davis who was then a young army officer stationed at Prairie du Chien Wis General Taylors burying place was long neglected Briars and brambles grew over the grave the fences surrounding it rotted down and the little family cemetery became a thicket It would be hard to have written two t paragraphs containing more errors than j these two which speak of the Taylor family It is true that General Taylar i was taken to Kentucky when veryyoung I and that he grew to manhood in that state but that he grew up working on I his fathers farm is untrue That ho would have done so with no loss of dignity I or of the esteem of his fellow citizens is also true had such service been necessary to the welfare of his family for through a long life he met every emergency with promptness zeal and efficiency From this peculiarity came his pseudonym old rough and ready not because he was vulj gar or rough inmind manner but because I be-cause he was always ready for any emergency emer-gency and took the rough end of every encounter He was a man of great tenderness t I derness of heart of very gentle manner and so totally devoid of selfassertion or I petty vanity that he undervalued his greatest achievements He was a Vy silent mau but his dignity impressed im-pressed all who came into his presence FAMILY AND BOYHOOD The father of Zachaiy Taylor General t Richard Taylor was an officer in the revolution rev-olution who served with credit to himself I him-self throughout the war He was connected con-nected with James Madison Richard Henry Lee John Taylor of Carolina 4 James and Phillip Barbour Judge Pen dlutou General Hunt of Texas General Gaincs the Conways Talferros and many other distinguished Virginian families After the was he moved to Kentucky where he served the state by assisting to r frame the constitution of Kentucky I The substantial respectable house lie built to shelter his family and i repel the Indians the walls of which were three lert thick is still standing and bears witness that he was a I man of wealth at that day ana for that day he left a handsome fortune to his children As soon as Zachary was able to study he went to the nearest school which was through thick woods infested by hostile Indians Colonel Taylors house was barricaded many nights against their attacks and the intrepid boy had numerous and narrow escapes es-capes Indeed one of his schoolmates was scalped by them within a hundred yards whero young Zachary was living While Kentucky was iu this unsettled state the schools were necessarily not as t good as they are now and the excellent solid education young Taylor acquired 7 must have been achieved under great difficulties and with much personal exposure ex-posure and unremitting application So snuch for his having grown up working on his fathers farm Since as was eloquently said by Hon John Sergeant General Taylor has become be-come an historical character and with an unconscious modesty he has with sword I and pen written his own history so that it forms ono of the brightest episodes in tb3 annals of the United States since the days of Washington It is perhaps J iieedless to say more in defence of him again tho Interesting reminiscences of old residents but one word more is needful as to our dead hero handsome monument had been erected to him and In 7 S9I the Louisville CourierJournal March 15 says in speaking of his burial place Care and attention can be seen on all sides and it is probable that with the one exception f < ex-ception the vault of tho first president presi-dent at Mt Yernon on the banks of the Potomac none of the executives of the t United States lie in a more sacredap I Fearing or more beautiful spot than does II t l General Zachery Taylor It seems strange that the old residents did not know of the tender care bestowed upon I t his resting place but believed it was I overrun with briers and neglected when y in 1892 they favored Mr Yenowine with their reminiscences SLANDERS REFUTED The notice of Mrs Taylor is more inexplicable in-explicable than that of General Taylor f as she never lived in Louisville but followed fol-lowed her husband to his different posts r always with the exception of Mexico where she could not go on account of her i health and the state of the country p When near Louisville she made her home with his father at Springfield five mires from Louisville and there must have been scant time for the old residents I resi-dents to see her smoking her pipe and I crying in the visits they made to Springfield Spring-field since she never paid a visit there 7 except for a few days en passant after r 1826 The facts are these Mrs Zachary Taylor was Miss Margaret Smith the daughter of Major Walter Smith of the United States army a resident at the time of her birth of Calved county Maryland The family were descended from an ancestor who came irom England Eng-land Maryland in 1619 and held the appointment ap-pointment of attorneygeneral from Oliver Cromwell in 1655 a reminiscence of whom may be found in the name of one of the family plantations in Maryland Gods Graces where the Mackalls i Mrs Taylors grandmothers family lived The family were wealthy and also people of fashion One of Mrs Taylors I brothers Colonel Richard Smith was in the marine corps and was most admiringly I ad-miringly remembered thirty years ago as one of the handsomest and most popular popu-lar officers of his day Two other brothers broth-ers were planters of large means in Mississippi Mis-sissippi Mrs Taylors two sisters who moved to Kentucky married two brothers broth-ers of the old Chew family so well and favorably known in Maryland Mrs Taylor was not only a conspicuously conspicu-ously calm courageous woman but she i was one of the most refined women of her day and one who was never heard moaning about anything Her dignity was supreme and bo well sustained under r circumstances that no one would have had the temerity to take a liberty with her Her aversion to tobacco in any shape was so great that none of her family were ever able to smoke in her presence still less could or did she smoke l a pipe When General lor was elected president she had not been in Louisville since 1S40 and then only for a few days She was in Baton Rouge surrounded by f friends who respected as much as they t admired her for her fortitude gentle ret re-t fined demeanor and Christian life Her health had failed very much before the generals inauguration and sha found herself unable to sit through the routine r of the long state dinners which must bet be-t civon at the executive mansion or even fi to walk up and down stairs to attend the receptions and her husband was unwilling f un-willing for her to undergo the strain upon r her exhausted frame The writer knew f her first at this time and always found the most pleasant part of her visit to be that passed in Mrs Taylors pretty bright room where the invalid full of Interest in the passing show in which she had not strength to take her place talked most agreeably and kindly to every one of the many friends who were r admitted to her presence L She always appeared at the family dinners L din-ners to which a few friends were unceremoniously r un-ceremoniously bidden of which many I charming ones were given during Gen Taylors administration and ably bore her share in the conversation at the table The president once at one of these dinners din-ners at which the writer was present after telling an anecdote of his army life t in which his wife had taken part turned t to Senator Jefferson Davis and said I t You know my wife was as much of a soldier as I was His every look and tone spoke the respect esteem and love II in which he held his quiet undemonstrative undemonstra-tive self controlled old wife whose moaning to the accompaniment of her pipe he seemed in company with her many other friends never to have heard When General Taylor died the writer f was with the family and saw her endure all the torture hich is incident to a state funeral Mrs Taylor was worn to a shadow and lay without uttering a sound I but trembling silently from head to foot I as one band aftee Another blared the funeral fu-neral music of the different organizations and the heavy guns boomed in quick succession I suc-cession to announce the final parting of her brave true old husband None but a thoroughbred refined woman could have thus borne last crushing sorrow of a lifetime which sne survived but a very short time less than a year How does this selfcontrolled Christian resignation compare with the testimony of the old residents who depicted her as the simple sim-ple old woman who sat in her room day after day smoking her pipe and bemoaning be-moaning her sad late I THE TAYLOR DESCENDANTS Mrs Taylor had four children Anne Sarah Knox Elizabeth and Richarc Anne married Dr Robert C Wood a surgeon in the United States army a man of elevated character fine abilities and unexceptionable family who inherited inher-ited the order of the Cincinnati and V V when he died was also surgeongeneral of the United States army Four children chil-dren were bprn to them John Taylor Robert C Anna Dudley and Sarah Knox Commander John Taylor of the United States army and afterward of the Confederate army earned a brlllian record during the war between the states ir of splendid gallantry which can never be forgotten by his grateful countrymen and to which his saintly character and V eminent piety added indescribable grace He married into the old and distinguished distin-guished McCubbin tamil of Annapolis and has family of pw g sons and V daughters Colonel E J > V oodfor g laerly of tnt Uaiter tales tmy and V Afterward of the Co > derate a iy did f I V < i a V J i J tfI much brilliant service in the west during dur-ing the last war He married in New Orleans into the aristocratic old French I family of Trist the grand nephew of President Jefferson and has sen eral SOpS and daughters Both brothers still live Nina Baroness Gretow was renowned on this side of the water as well as in Berlin and Dresden where she lived for many years for her grace beauty and gentleness gentle-ness She died within the year in Berlin Ber-lin beloved trusted and admired by all Who knew her leaving her husband her sister Sarah and her friends inconsolable inconsola-ble Sarah still lives and is a woman of rare culture and moral worth Mrs Wood died some years ago at Wiesbaden whither she had gone with Baron Gro tow and her daughters and there are no better or purer women left to mourn her loss than this beautiful daughter tender wife and mother and true friend Mrs Taylor under every disadvantage reared and superintended the education of her worthy presentable and intelligent famil and the scopa of this article does not admit of the notice which they deserve Sarah Knox did not elope with Jefferson Jeffer-son Davis but was married at her aunts house with her parents knowledge The were not present because of a contest con-test Davis had with Colonel Taylor when Air Davis served under him She only lied three months and died sincerely sin-cerely mourned by her family and that of her husband Elizabeth married General I I Taylors adjutant Colonel Bliss whoI because of his many accomplishments and lovely temper was known at West Point as Perfect Bliss Into her capable and gentle hands the social duties were entrusted which would have devolved upon Mrs Taylor had her health permitted the exertion ex-ertion and with great skill and grace did she acquit herself Personally most attractive always solicitous for the comfort com-fort of others never repellant never elated but thoroughly composed graceful grace-ful cordial and attentive no one has ever received with more dignity and universal uni-versal popularity than the pretty gentle Bettie Bliss 44 years ago It was of her that in the oldfashioned phrase of that day the fastidious fastid-ious Sir Henry Bulwer said she was The nicest person he had met in America J After Colonel Bliss death she married Philip Dandridgeof Virginia and still lives in full possession of her charming personality Richard Taylor was a very brilliant and able general on the confederate sida of the late war After the war was over he visited England and was received with the utmost cordiality by the Prince of Wales and the old aristocracy aris-tocracy of England indeed to no American Amer-ican has been rendered a more gratifying personal tribute to his chain of manner and brilliant wit After his return from England he wrote Destruction and Reconstruction construction a book full of epigrammatic epigram-matic wit mingled with sound comment upon men and thingsin the struggle between be-tween the states where he bore sb con spicuous a part He unfortunately died some years ago leaving three attractive daughters who live in New Orleans This notice has been a labor of love to the writer who could not in so small a compass give more than a hint at the many claims of the Taylor family to the respect and gratitude of the people whom so many of them served so ably Is it not time that writers should endeavor to sift the scandalous communications of so called old residents who are willing to libel the dead before giving tongue to misrepresentatiOns which wound and insult suit the surviving members of the family Could not the man who when stripped of all his force but 450 regular troops and 4050 volunteers when informed by a message from Santa Anna that his 4500 men were confronted con-fronted with 22000 well equipped Mexican Mexi-can regulars and he had better surrender answered calmly Ah I you say he has 22000 men he will not have so many tomorrow to-morrow and who when advised not to fight at Buena Vista on the second day against such fearful odds answered JMy wounded are behind me I will never pass them alive the patriot who received three medals at the hands of Congress Con-gress and to whom three swords were presented in acknowledgement of his eminent service have claimed that after his good right arm so often raised in his countrys defence had teen stricken powerless by death the memory of himself him-self and family should at least have justice jus-tice at the hands of his countrymen nay even have been held inviolately sacred V JEFFERSON DAVIS |