Important Figures
Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia in 1784. Taylor spent his early life in Kentucky and would enroll in the military in 1806. Taylor's daughter would later marry Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Taylor served in the Army for nearly 40 years and was then appointed as Major General. He commanded troops in the Black Hawk War and the second of the Seminole Wars in Florida. Soon after the annexation of Texas, President Polk appointed Taylor and an army of 4000 men to the Rio Grande River, where he would start the first battles of the Mexican-American War. Shortly after the Mexican-American Wars ended, Taylor was appointed president for a short 16 months before dying from partying too hard on July 4th and also from his old age.
John E. Wool was born in Newburgh, New York, on February 20, 1784. His father died when Wool was only 8, so Wool went to live with his grandfather. Wool had originally attempted to start his own company, but due to a fire, he had to abandon it. War with Great Britain had broken out, so Wool left his studies and raised an infantry company. By April of 1812, he was commissioned a captain of the 13th United States Infantry. When the Mexican-American War started, Wool was in charge of rallying troops and taking volunteers. He gathered 10000 volunteer troops for Taylor's Army at the Rio Grande River. When the time arrived for the battle of Buena Vista, John Wool originally anticipated an attack from Santa Anna northward, but some of Wool's scouts spotted Santa Anna's army of 15,000 troops, so Taylor ordered the movement of the troops and put Wool in charge of the field of battle, and what to do with the arriving troops. Wool would live out the rest of his life in the military and even help command troops during the Civil War.
Santa Anna
Mexico General
Antonio López de Santa Anna was born to a middle-class family in Jalapa in 1794. By the age of 16, he joined the Spanish Colonial Army to fight in the War of Independence. Mexico's politics shifted quickly, and Santa Anna often followed the side in the lead, and eventually, in 1833, he was elected President. Santa Anna was actually a pretty lazy president, and often went out of his way to make his subordinates do his actual work as president. Santa Anna even gave up his presidency to his Vice President, but then didn't like what the Vice President was doing, so he took the power back and overwrote what he did! Santa Anna made a lot more moves that would end in many revolts and separation from Mexico City. Yet Santa Anna didn't really care; he cared way more for a strong military. Santa Anna would actually get captured and forced to sign multiple peace treaties with the United States and Texas, the first time the Mexican government had broken the contract. In the end, Santa Anna couldn't handle the United States power, fighting and being attacked by Zachary Taylor, and also having to defend from Winfield Scott. Santa Anna would resign and spend the next 5 years in exile. He would eventually return to Mexico City but die within 2 years.
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