The Life and Public Service of General Zachary Taylor: An Address | Page 8

and by the courage and devotion of his
officers and men, in repulsing the overwhelming forces of the enemy,
and throwing them back into the desert. This was the battle of the
chiefest interest fought during the Mexican War. At the time it was
fought, and for some weeks after, General Taylor's communication
with the United States was cut off; and the road was in possession of
parties of the enemy. For many days after full intelligence of it should
have been in all parts of this country, nothing certain concerning it was
known, while vague and painful rumors were afloat, that a great battle
had been fought, and that General Taylor and his whole force had been
annihilated. At length the truth came, with its thrilling details of victory
and blood,--of glory and grief. A bright and glowing page was added to
our Nation's history; but then, too, in eternal silence, lay Clay and
McKee and Yell and Lincoln, and our own beloved Hardin.
This was also General Taylor's last battle. He remained in active
service in Mexico till the autumn of the same year, when he returned to
the United States.
Passing in review General Taylor's military history, some striking

peculiarities will appear. No one of the six battles which he fought,
except, perhaps, that of Monterey, presented a field which would have
been selected by an ambitious captain upon which to gather laurels. So
far as fame is concerned, the prospect--the promise in advance--was,
"You may lose, but you cannot win." Yet Taylor, in his blunt,
business-like view of things, seems never to have thought of this.
It did not happen to General Taylor, once in his life, to fight a battle on
equal terms, or on terms advantageous to himself--and yet he was never
beaten, and he never retreated. In all, the odds were greatly against him;
in each, defeat seemed inevitable; and yet in all he triumphed.
Wherever he has led, while the battle still raged, the issue was painfully
doubtful; yet in each and all, when the din had ceased, and the smoke
had blown away, our country's flag was still seen, fluttering in the
breeze.
General Taylor's battles were not distinguished for brilliant military
maneuvers; but in all he seems rather to have conquered by the exercise
of a sober and steady judgment, coupled with a dogged incapacity to
understand that defeat was possible. His rarest military trait was a
combination of negatives--absence of excitement and absence of fear.
He could not be flurried, and he could not be scared.
In connection with General Taylor's military character may be
mentioned his relations with his brother officers, and his soldiers.
Terrible as he was to his country's enemies, no man was so little
disposed to have difficulty with his friends. During the period of his
life, dueling was a practice not quite uncommon among gentlemen in
the peaceful avocations of life, and still more common among the
officers of the Army and Navy, yet, so far as I can learn, a duel with
General Taylor has never been talked of.
He was alike averse to sudden and to startling quarrels; and he pursued
no man with revenge. A notable and a noble instance of this is found in
his conduct to the gallant and now lamented General Worth. A short
while before the battles of the eighth and ninth of May, some question
of precedence arose between Worth (then a Colonel) and some other
officer, which question it seems it was General Taylor's duty to decide.

He decided against Worth. Worth was greatly offended, left the Army,
came to the United States, and tendered his resignation to the
authorities at Washington. It is said, that in his passionate feeling, he
hesitated not to speak harshly and disparagingly of General Taylor. He
was an officer of the highest character; and his word, on military
subjects, and about military men, could not, with the country, pass for
nothing. In this absence from the Army of Colonel Worth, the
unexpected turn of things brought in the battles of the eighth and ninth.
He was deeply mortified--in almost absolute desperation--at having lost
the opportunity of being present, and taking part in those battles. The
laurels won by his previous service, in his own eyes, seemed withering
away. The Government, both wisely and generously, I think, declined
accepting his resignation; and he returned to General Taylor. Then
came General Taylor's opportunity for revenge. The Battle of Monterey
was approaching and even at hand. Taylor could, if he would, so place
Worth in that battle, that his name would scarcely be noticed in the
report. But no. He felt it was due to the service to assign the real post of
honor to some one of the best officers; he knew Worth