Absalom Baird

Infobox Military Person
name= Absalom Baird
born= birth date|1824|8|20
died= death date and age|1905|6|14|1824|8|20
placeofbirth= Washington, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath= Relay, Maryland
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


allegiance= United States of America Union
branch= United States Army Union Army
serviceyears=
rank= Brevet Major General
commands=Inspector General of the Army
battles= American Civil War
awards= Medal of Honor
laterwork=

Absalom Baird (August 20, 1824, Washington, Pennsylvania – June 14, 1905, near Baltimore, Maryland) was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird was awarded the Medal of Honor for his military actions

Biography

Baird graduated from the preparatory department of Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1841. He enrolled in the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1849, ranked ninth in a class of 43. From 1852-59, he was a mathematics instructor at West Point, where one of his students was James McNeill Whistler. From 1859-61, he served in Texas and Virginia.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Baird was promoted to brevet captain. He fought at the Battle of Bull Run under General Daniel Tyler, and was promoted to brevet major. He became chief of staff to General Erasmus D. Keyes and fought in the Peninsula Campaign, where his service earned him a further promotion to brevet Brigadier General.

In 1862, Baird commanded a brigade in the Army of the Ohio under General Don Carlos Buell, and helped secure the Cumberland Gap. He commanded a division in Kentucky, and then joined the Army of the Cumberland under General George Henry Thomas in XIV Corps. It was in this post that he won fame for his heroic efforts at the Battle of Chickamauga and the Third Battle of Chattanooga. Later, in the Atlanta Campaign, Baird led a brigade charge in the Battle of Jonesborough. He led his division in MG William T. Sherman's March to the Sea and Carolinas Campaign. Baird led his division in the Battle of Bentonville in the latter campaign. By the end of the war, Baird had been promoted to brevet major general and permanent lieutenant colonel.

Following the war, Baird served as commander of the department of Louisiana and then as an assistant inspector general. He was appointed Inspector General of the Army in 1885 as a permanent brigadier general. In 1887, he traveled to France to observe military maneuvers, and was awarded the Légion d'honneur.

In 1896, Baird was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the charge at Jonesborough.

He died in 1905 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia.findagrave|12848 Retrieved on 2007-11-07] His grave can be found in section 1, lot 55.findagrave|12848 Retrieved on 2007-11-07]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Jonesboro, Ga., September 1, 1864. Entered service at: Washington, Pa. Birth: Washington, Pa. Date of issue: April 22, 1896.

Citation:

:Voluntarily led a detached brigade in an assault upon the enemy's works.cite web
accessdate=2007-12-08
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwaral.html
title = Absalom Baird, Medal of Honor recipient
work = American Civil War (A-M)
publisher Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*
*List of Amerian Civil War generals

Notes

References

*findagrave|12848 Retrieved on 2007-11-07
*cite web
accessdate=2007-12-08
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwaral.html
title = Absalom Baird, Medal of Honor recipient
work = American Civil War (A-M)
publisher Army Medal of Honor website
date = July 16, 2007

*American National Biography, vol. 1, pp. 906-907.
* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/absalomb.htm Arlingtoncemetery.net profile, with gravestone photos]
* [http://www.generalsandbrevets.com/ngb/baird.htm Photographs of Absalom Baird]
* [http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60E17F7355913738DDDAC0994DE405B858CF1D3 New York Times obituary, June 15, 1905 (subscription required)]

Persondata
NAME= Baird, Absalom
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general and Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= August 20, 1824
PLACE OF BIRTH= Washington, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH= June 14, 1905
PLACE OF DEATH= Baltimore, Maryland