Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/187

BAINBRIDGE.BAIRD. In May, 1801, Bainbridge was given command of the frigate Essex, of the squadron commanded by Commodore Richard Dale, sent out by the United States to cruise against the Barbary states. He sailed to Gibraltar, appearing off the cities of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, and during the winter and spring of 1802 cruised in different parts of the Mediterranean. In July, 1802, he returned to New York, and afterwards superintended the building of the brig Syren and the schooner Vixen. In May, 1803, he was given command of the frigate Philadelphia, of forty-four guns, and cruised in the Mediterranean under Commodore Preble. In August of the same year, he captured the Moorish cruiser Meshboha, of twenty-two guns and one hundred and twenty men. In November, 1803, while at Tripoh, Bainbridge ran his vessel, the Philadelphia, upon rocks in the harbor, and before he could wear her off, he was attacked by the Tripolitans, obliged to surrender, and with his officers and crew, confined in prison for nineteen months. The Philadelphia was burned by Lieutenant Decatur on Feb. 15, 1804, at the suggestion of Bainbridge through Commodore Preble. After peace was made Bainbridge returned to the United States.

At the outbreak of the war of 1812 he was made commander of the frigate Constitution, and of a small squadron consisting of the frigate Essex, Capt. David Porter, and the sloop-of-war Hornet, Capt. James Lawrence. On Dec. 29, 1812, he captured the frigate Java, being severely wounded in the engagement. He received for this exploit formal expressions of appreciation from the states of Massachusetts and New York, and from both houses of Congress. Congress appropriated fifty thousand dollars to be divided among the crew as prize money, a gold medal for the commodore and a silver one for each officer. Commodore Bainbridge was placed in charge of the Charlestown navy yard, where in August he laid the keel of the line of battle ship Independence, of seventy-four guns. While Bainbridge remained in Boston the Chesapeake sailed out and encountered the British frigate Shannon, by which she was captured, with all the naval signals. A new signal code, was prepared by Commodore Bainbridge and the United States navy have since continued to use his system. When the British fleet appeared before Boston in 1813 and blockaded the harbor, a conflict of opinion arose between the people of Massachusetts and the national government as to the defence of the sea coast and the ownership of the forts and vessels of war in the territory. The Federal government was defended by Bainbridge, who insisted that the citizens of Boston had no interests separate from those of the nation, and that he should maintain the national honor and protect its property, let the consequences be what they might. His firmness led to the strengthening of the navy, the sloops of war Frolic and Wasp were built under his direction, and he did much to improve the condition of the navy yard. In 1815 he took command of the Mediterranean squadron, consisting of twenty vessels. Peace was declared with Algiers soon after, and for six years he remained in command, and settled numerous disputes with the Barbary states. In 1815 he established in the Boston navy yard the first naval school. In 1817 he was one of a committee to select sites for navy yards. In 1819 he presided over the first board of examiners, before whom appeared young officers for promotion. He commanded the new line of battle ship Columbus, November, 1819, and sailed in her to assume direction of the Mediterranean squadron. In 1821 he was in command of the Philadelphia navy yard, and fitted out the ship-of-the-line, North Carolina. In 1823 he was in command at the Charlestown navy yard, and the same year was made naval commissioner. He acted as Decatur's second in his fatal duel with Barron, and afterwards resigned as naval commissioner and served at various navy yards until his death, which occurred in Philadelphia, July 28, 1833. BAIRD, Absalom, soldier, was born at Washington, Pa., Aug. 20, 1824. His primary education fitted him for entrance to Washington college, where he was graduated in 1841. He studied law, afterwards entered the military academy as a cadet in 1844 and was graduated in 1849, promoted to 1st lieutenant in 1853, and until 1859 was assistant professor of mathematics at West Point. At the outbreak of the civil war he commanded a battery in the defences of Washington and was promoted captain by brevet, May 11, 1861. He was assigned to the adjutant-general's department as assistant, and in July, 1861, was made adjutant-general in Tyler's division and took part in the Manassas campaign, including Blackburn's Ford and Bull Run. He was promoted captain Aug. 3, 1861, and major Nov. 12, 1861, and served as chief of staff of the 4th army corps in the Peninsular campaign, engaging in the siege of Yorktown and the battle of Williamsburg. He was commander of a brigade in the army of the Ohio in 1862, of the 3d division of the army of Kentucky in the operations of General Rosecrans in Tennessee. He received the brevet of lieutenant-colonel for gallantry in battle at Chicamauga, and that of colonel after the battle of Chattanooga, where he commanded a division of the 14th army corps. In 1865 he was brevetted brigadier-general for gallantry at the battle of Atlanta, and in September of the same year was brevetted major-general for his service in the field during the entire war. He was made major-general of volunteers for service