Absalom Baird
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Absalom Baird (born August 20, 1824, Washington, Pennsylvania; died 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 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. 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. 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.
