<Tr> <Th> Commands </Th> <Td> Army of Occupation </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Battles / wars </Th> <Td> War of 1812 Siege of Fort Harrison Black Hawk War Second Seminole War Battle of Lake Okeechobee Mexican--American War Battle of Palo Alto Battle of Resaca de la Palma Battle of Monterrey Battle of Buena Vista </Td> </Tr> <P> Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784--July 9, 1850) was the 12th President of the United States, serving from March 1849 until his death in July 1850 . Before his presidency, Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major general . Taylor's status as a national hero as a result of his victories in the Mexican--American War won him election to the White House despite his vague political beliefs . His top priority as president was preserving the Union, but he died 16 months into his term, before making any progress on the status of slavery, which had been inflaming tensions in Congress . He remains the only President to come from Louisiana . </P> <P> Taylor was born into a prominent family of planters who migrated westward from Virginia to Kentucky in his youth . He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1808 and made a name for himself as a captain in the War of 1812 . He climbed the ranks establishing military forts along the Mississippi River and entered the Black Hawk War as a colonel in 1832 . His success in the Second Seminole War attracted national attention and earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready". </P>

What military hero from the mexican war became potus