Historians Find 1814 Taylor Indictment Zachary Taylor Served in Illinois During War of 1812, Became 12th U.S. President in 1848 By CHRISTOPHER WILLS .c The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (July 17) - Old legal problems have surfaced to taint another president. But the problems are really old - try 188 years. Historians said Tuesday that they have found an 1814 indictment of Major ``Zachariah'' Taylor on charges of assault and battery. Zachary Taylor went on to become the 12th U.S. president in 1848, though he served less than 500 days before dying in office. Taylor served in Illinois during the War of 1812, leading a force of 340 men up the Mississippi River to destroy Indian crops and build a fort near what is now Rock Island. Taken by surprise and outnumbered, Taylor was forced to retreat and he returned to St. Louis in September 1814. The assault took place shortly afterward just across the Mississippi River in Illinois. A man named Simon Bartrane said he was assaulted by Taylor and two other men. The charges against Taylor and, apparently, one of the other accused were dismissed. The third, Byrd Lockhart, was convicted. It might be coincidence, but historians at the Illinois State Archives said British war correspondence shows that ``some French gentlemen from St. Louis'' had warned the Sauk Indians that Taylor's forces were on their way north, allowing Taylor to be ambushed. ``We may never know if Bartrane was suspected of espionage or simply the victim of a petty quarrel,'' Vance Martin and Mark Sorensen write in the latest issue of Illinois Heritage magazine. Sorensen, assistant director of the Illinois State Archives, said the indictment was discovered among old documents from Madison County. He and Martin spent months verifying that it was not some other Zachary or Zachariah Taylor. Sorensen said records show no other Zachary or Zachariah Taylor in the Army at that time. The historians also confirmed that Taylor was referred to as Zachariah early in his career, even though in most records and even on his grave he is listed as Zachary. 07/17/02 11:04 EDT Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.