U.S. naval officer. He joined the U.S. navy and rose to the rank of commander (1838). When the Mexican War broke out, he took command of U.S. land and naval forces in present-day California and proceeded to capture Los Angeles, a Mexican stronghold, on Aug. 13, 1846. Four days later, he set up a civil government and formally annexed California to the U.S., naming himself governor. Along with Col. Stephen Kearnyand his troops he defeated an uprising by native Mexicans and ceded the entire province to the U.S. In 1850 he resigned from the navy and was elected to the U.S. Senate. Stockton, Calif., is named in his honor. He died October 7, 1866.
He entered the navy as a midshipman in 1800 and resigned after a year's service, but reentered for service in the War of 1812. He was aboard the United States when the Macedonian was captured. After the war he served against the pirates in the West Indies. He was commander of the Pacific squadron from 1844 to 1846, and in July, 1846, soon after war was declared against Mexico, he occupied Monterey, Calif., on the grounds that the British were about to do so. He also took San Francisco and held it until relieved by Robert F. Stockton. He retired in 1855, but was promoted to commodore (1862) and rear admiral (1866) on the retired list. He died in 1867.
U.S. army officer.He directed operations during the Mexican War and led the U.S. invasion at Veracruz and the victory at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. He was the Whig Party's nominee in the 1852 presidential election but lost to Franklin Pierce. In 1855 he was promoted to lieutenant general, becoming the first man since George Washington to hold that rank. Scott was still commander in chief of the U.S. Army when the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, but his proposed strategy of splitting the Confederacy — the plan eventually adopted — was ridiculed. Age forced his retirement the following November. He died May 29, 1866.
Zachary Taylor was born November 24, 1784 in Montebello, Virginia. Taylor was on the frontier for most of his life, joining the army and serving for 40 years. He became extremely popular following his leadership in the Mexican-American War, leading the Whig Party to offer him the chance to be their presidential nominee. Taylor was the 12th President of the United States.Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850 at the age of 65.
He served in the War of 1812 and later on the western frontier. At the outbreak of the Mexican War, he was ordered to seize New Mexico and California. Using diplomacy to persuade Mexican troops to withdraw, he marched unopposed to Santa Fe, where in 1846 he proclaimed a civil government for the province. Heading to California, he was informed that the conquest had already been completed by Robert F. Stockton and John C. Frémont. He arrived to discover that Mexican rebels had retaken most of the province. He then joined forces with Stockton to defeat the rebels in 1847. After initial opposition from Frémont, who had persuaded Stockton to appoint him governor, Kearny pacified the rest of California and established a stable civil government. He was then sent to Mexico, where he died of yellow fever.