DOB/DOD: December 13, 1839 (Milford, CT) – November 28, 1906 (Asheville, NC); 66 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Julia C. Rogers (1842-1926) on July 31, 1866, in Cheshire, Connecticut.
CHILDREN: One son, [Colonel, U.S. Army] George H. (1876-1951). Two daughters, Julia G.R. Baird Holmes (1868-1928) and Martha M. Baird Hall (1875-1966).
ENLISTMENT: Enlisted as a Private on August 25, 1862, in Milford, Connecticut. Commissioned on March 18, 1864.
DISCHARGE: Retired on February 20, 1903.
FAMILY: Born to Jonah Newton (1897-1853) and Minerva Gunn Baird (1799-1882). Three brothers, John G. (1826-1891), James W. (1833-1912), and Charles S. (1836-1911). Five sisters, Catherine N. (1828-1890), Martha M. Beard Hall (1830-1916), Anna A. Beard Andrew (1832-1892), and Emily J. (1842-1922).
OTHER: He was the only soldier on record who was promoted from Private to Colonel during the Civil War. Colonel of the 32nd Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, in 1864. Graduated from Yale University, Class of 1863.
Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress. Left photo pnp-ppmsca-73400-73448r,
and right photo LC-DIG-bellcm-11159.
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING: Indian Campaigns
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army
UNIT: 5th U.S. Infantry
DATE OF ISSUE AND PRESENTATION: November 27, 1894 (17 years later)
AGE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: 37
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Lieutenant (Infantry) George William Baird, United States Army, for most distinguished gallantry in action with the Nez Perce Indians on 30 September 1877, while serving with 5th U.S. Infantry, in action at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana.
He was wounded on February 14, 1865, at James Island, South Carolina. He participated in several battles in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The 1st Battery made an expedition to James Island and participated in operations against Charleston, South Carolina, from May 31 to June 28, 1862. The major part of the expedition was the Battle of Secessionville on June 16th, 1862. Later, he was made Colonel of the 32nd Regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops. The 32nd Regiment was ordered to Hilton Head S.C. in April 1864 and stood duty there until June. When the Civil War ended, he decided to make a career out of the military. He completed his engineering course at Sheffield Scientific school in 1866, and in May of that year, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the regular army, and in 1871 he became the Adjutant General of his field command.
Indian Wars Medal of Honor Recipient. He rose from the rank of Private to Brigadier General. He was presented the Medal of Honor in 1894 for his actions at Bear Paw Mountain, Montana, on September 30, 1877, against Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce. He was at the time a 1st Lieutenant with the 5th Infantry. During the battle, he served in the 5th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the “Bobcats.” The 5th Infantry Regiment is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army, tracing its origins to 1808. It has participated in some way in most of the wars the United States has fought.
The 5th Infantry was pursuing Chief Joseph and his tribe of Nez Perce Indians. The battle started when the Nez Perce saw the 5th Infantry Regiment advancing on their position. The Indians didn’t have time to flee, but they did have enough time to fortify their position. They made trenches on the side of the mountain to slow the advance of the attacking U.S. Army. Custer’s outfit, the 7th Cavalry, charged in support of the 5th Infantry but was pushed back under a barrage of arrows shot by the Indian warriors. When the day was over, Colonel Nelson A. Miles, the commander of Baird’s Regiment, tried to negotiate a peace treaty with Chief Joseph. While this was going on, each side removed their wounded from the field. On October 2, the United States 12-pound Napoleon artillery piece arrived at the battlefield. The Napoleon artillery fired on the Indian trenches, hoping to force the Nez Perce to surrender, which they did.
While he was giving orders and carrying notes across the battlefield, Baird was shot in the left forearm, and an arrow severed his ear. He recovered well from his injuries, and in 1878, Colonel Miles recommended that he receive the Medal of Honor for his duties at the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain. Baird was presented with the Medal of Honor in 1894.
From the Springfield Republican on November 30, 1906
Word was received in New York Wednesday night of the death Wednesday at Asheville, North Carolina, of Brigadier General George W. Baird, United States Army (retired). General Baird was born in Connecticut in December 1839, entered the Union Army during the Civil War as a private, and rose to the colonelcy of a colored regiment. He served in operations in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and entered the regular army after the war. He served on the frontier and participated with great gallantry in several Indian campaigns, particularly against the Nez Perces. The latter years of his Army life were spent in the paymaster general’s department. He retired two years ago and went to New York to make his home. His health had been failing for some months, and about a week ago, he was taken to Asheville. He is survived by a widow and a son who is a First Lieutenant in the army and is in the Philippines.
From The Boston Globe on December 2, 1906
The funeral of Brigadier General George W. Baird of Milford, Connecticut, was held in the Broadway Tabernacle in New York yesterday and was attended with military honors. A company of the 12th United States infantry formed the military escort, and the body was conveyed to the Tabernacle and the railroad station on a gun caisson. The body will be sent to Milford for burial.
Buried in Milford Cemetery, 35 Gulf Street, Milford, Connecticut; Section G. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
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