Who is Colonel Zachary Taylor from The Everglades: River of Grass and what is their importance?

Colonel Zachary Taylor was an Army officer and hero of the Mexican American War. He led a unit into the Everglades during the Indian uprisings of the 1830s. Most of the men were killed, but they won the battle of Lake Okeechobee. Taylor went on to become the twelfth President of the United States.