Matthew Baird – Skedaddled

As Baird states in this letter, his messages home had become less frequent due to his stints on picket duty.

The letter becomes difficult to read by the end and several of you were able to help us with the transcription. Thank you Debra Wisniewski!

Chantilla, Va
May 12, 1863

Can you decipher the missing words?

My Own Maggie,

Your welcome note of the 2^nd reached me several days ago, and day before yesterday I undertook to answer it, but I had nothing but a pencil to write with and my letter was such a miserable thing, that I was ashamed to send it, So I have not answered your letter till to-day. I am sorry my letters are so irregular now, but it is on account of our being so far removed from any Mail route.

You see we are out on picket nearly all of the time, and consequently we have had but little chance to send letters out. I have managed, however, to Send you one each week, but on account of the irregularity of the mail they have not reached you. But I trust you have heard from me ere this however. I well know how you feel when my letters are So long delayed, but you mustn’t think that I have forgotten you, neither must you worry on account of my health, it was never better than it is now. And I feel very much in hopes that it will remain good. The kind of life we lead here is just suited to my temperament. We have a dash outside of the lines, occasionally, and, altogether, the times we have here are rather interesting than otherwise.

We are out on picket at this place for three days. This morning before we had got our breakfast, Some six or eight rebels came right in onto one of our pickets, the picket fired on them and they skedaddled, the reserve were soon in the Saddle, and out we went after them but they had got the start of us and escaped without our getting a single shot at them.

We expected to have been relieved from picket duty the tenth, but we are still here, and it is rumored that we are to remain here thirty days to come, but it is only a rumor, there is nothing certain about it.

I wish it were so that I come home and bear you company while you[r] parents are absent. But many long days must elapse ere we can see each other again. Keep up a good heart and all will be well.

Johnn and Jake send their regards, Jake wants you to write, Remember me to all friends, with My especial regards to “Cousin.”

Hoping you will have success in your Summer’s undertaking, and in all the pursuits of life, I will close, remaining, as ever

Your Own,
Matthew

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Don’t Laugh

Washington, Feb. 28^th, ‘63

My Dear Father,

I received your kind letter of the 23^rd and I’m glad to hear you got my money. It is considerable risk to send money by mail now, but Still, it is about as Safe as any way. A portion of our regiment was mustered in for pay to-day, but as a large portion of it is away, it may be Several days before we get it. The rebel General Stuart, a few nights ago, made another raid across the Rappahannock, and Several thousand troop, among them Six companies of the 6^th Cavalry, were sent in pursuit, and So we Shall not get our pay untill they return. We Shall expect them in camp every day now.

I Shall not be able to Send you quite as much this payment as I told you in my last letter, as it has become necessary for me to buy a watch (don’t laugh) and I am to pay half this pay day and the other half the next pay day. I am to pay sixteen dollars for it and I have been told by those capable of judging, that is worth twenty, So you see I am doing well enough. I will Send you twelve dollars this time and as much more as I can. I am glad you have concluded not to break up house keeping, for Mary, as it is now, I fear, would not do very well among strangers, and Lucy  would be entirely neglected, and to have the little ones thrown upon the mercy of Strangers would be too bad. And I know of no one in the neighborhood, in whose care I would like to trust the farm.

Under present circumstances you could not let it [farm] out to any one to a good advantage, for help is so scarce that every back will have all they can do to work their own farms. And besides this you have a great deal of loose property of various kinds that you could not possibly sell and, which of course you would have to Sacrifice, I think the very best thing you can do is to Stick to the farm, And though it may be lonely for a while, Still we must consider that there are other homes that are lonely, and that God doeth nothing wrong, let us put our whole trust in him. This promise is that his grace Shall be Sufficient for us. I got a letter from Sammy to-day. He is well, and is doing well, he says he has laid up one hundred and ten dollars, up to the first of last December. His letter was dated Feb.21^st and he said he was going to try to send you some money the next Friday, it will probably reach you before this. I will send you some as soon as I can, in the meantime, believe me,

Your Affectionate Son,

Matthew.

 

Mary and Lucy Baird were 15 and 8 respectively at the time of their mother’s death. Another sibling, Thomas, was 13 years old, but would have been useful around the farm.  The care of his daughter’s may account for George Baird’s swift remarriage in October 1863 to Antinet Baker.

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Death of My Mother

Matthew Baird received news that his mother passed away 11 days after her death. Although we have no letters from her to Baird, he wrote to her, she is mentioned in letters home, and he obviously cared for her a great deal based on the below. Her illness was incredibly quick – just 3 hours in length!

Washington, Feb. 10^th ‘63

Dear Maggie,

Some time has now lapsed Since I wrote you and you may possibly think I have forgotten you, but I have not. I intended to have written last Sunday but Such Sad news reached me that it was almost impossible for me to write, and So I have delayed it untill now. You will doubtless, have heard, ere this reaches you, of the death of my mother.

It was So Sudden and unexpected that it almost unmaned me, and to-day, even, I can Scarcely collect my thoughts. Oh: Maggie, it is possible I can Scarcely realize it, And yet it is So. She has gone.

How my heart bleeds to think I shall meet her no more on earth. How little I thought when I left home three months ago that I Should be called afar, So soon to part, with the dearest and best friend of my life. But, Maggie, I shall not mourn for her. I feel that our loss is her gain, She has gone to rest. She has left a world of care and sorrow, of toil and pain, of Sickness and death, to participate in the joys of a world that is full of life and immortality. The only consolation I now have is that I may one day, meet her, in that land of rest and peace. Oh: how fleeting is life, and each day convinces me that life is but a Shadow, but a farce.

To-day we are with our friends enjoying the Society of those we love, to-morrow, they are gathered to the tomb. When we look around us, upon our friends, we do not realize how frail they are, and not till death Strikes the fatal blow, do we consider the deep import of those words: “Man is as grass, as the flower of the field.”

My Mother died, after an illness of only three hours. I had a letter from David and Mira yesterday. They were well, their letter was dated 3^rd of Feb. I got a letter from Sammy also, yesterday, he was well and seems to enjoy himself very much. Poor boy! I fear his mirth will be dampened when he hears of his mothers death. I have’nt heard from Noah yet.

Write soon, Give my compliments to Miss Miller, And believe me Maggie, Truly Yours,

Matthew.

————

From the Hastings Banner, Feb. 18, 1863:

“At Cedar Creek, Jan 31st, 1863, MARY ELIZA, wife of George W. Baird, aged 48 years, 9 mo’s and 13 days. In the death of Mrs. B. the husband has sustained an irrepairable loss, in a faithful, affectionate, and beloved companion; the children, one of the kindest of mothers; and society, a spotless member, whose loss will be sadly felt, not only by family friends, but by a large circle of acquaintance’s. But they mourn not as one without hope. The deceased had for many years been a consistent member of the Church, and she has now gone to her reward. May she rest in peace.”

————

George Baird was remarried in October of 1863 to Antinet Baker.

David and Elmira (Mira) mentioned above are Maggie’s brother and sister-in-law. They were married in December of 1860. David was a Sargent in Co. L of the 11^th Michigan Cavalry and served from October 1863 to May 1865. They had two daughters together, Cora and Bertha and had a “Domestic Servant” according to the 1870 census. Elmira died in March of 1871 and David remarried around 1875 to Nancy J. [Moore], Elmira’s older sister by 9 years. Nancy was likely married prior to her marriage to David, but locating her information around 1850 is difficult because she was already out of her parents’ home. Nancy and David had one child, Harry. Nancy died in 1910 and David in 1911. Noah, also mentioned, is another of Maggie’s brothers.

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Obliged for the Loan

Washington, Jan. 18, ‘63

Dear Father,

I now Sit down to write you a few lines as I promised in my last letter, and to enclose to you fifteen dollars in United States currency. I received $28.93 the payment and wanted to send you more but I wanted to get a few necessary articles, and for this reason retain the balance we were paid up to the 31^st Oct. only, but as we expect, in a few days to be paid up to the 1^st Jan. I think I shall then be able to Send you $22 more. You remember when I left home, that Robert let me have two dollars, and you will pay to him two dollars of this I send you now, and oblige me. I think he has waited long enough for it and tell him I am very much obliged for the loan of it.

I am not very well to-day, and of course you will excuse me from writing so brief a letter, I must however, before I close, acknowledge the receipt of those beautiful verses my mother sent me, and for which I thank her very much. I have rewritten them [in] all my letters.

I will try and answer Mary’s and Lizzie’s letter in a few days. Give my love to all and remember me as

Your,
Affectionate Son,

Matthew

Robert Baird was born in 1843 in Mt. Giliad, Marion County, Ohio. He was the third eldest of the Baird children after Matthew and Samuel. In the 1860 census, he is 16 and living at home in Cedar Creek, Barry County, Michigan. Robert enlisted in the cavalry on August 5^th, 1864 in the same unit as his brother Samuel – Co. H, 2^nd Missouri Cavalry, “Merrill Horse”. Records indicate that while in Benton Barracks, Missouri, during the fall of 1864, Robert and many others in his unit, came down with the measles. Robert was brought home and succumbed on December 4, 1864. 205 other soldiers in his unit also died as a result of the measles.

Mary Baird, five years younger than her brother Robert, was born in 1848 in Mt. Giliad, Marion County, Ohio. She is 12 years old in the 1860 census and living with her parents in Cedar Creek. Her parents passed away in 1866, so she becomes difficult to track. She married Alphonse Larkin c. 1870, he was a farm laborer from the Hastings, Michigan area. They had one daughter, Lucy, who was 10 in the 1880 census and another Maggie, 12 years later. By the time the 1900 census rolls around, Mary and Alphonse are living with their 5 year old granddaughter Gladys. Mary passed away in 1904 from complications of diabetes. Alphonse (64) and his father Nathan (92) are living with Maggie (Larkin) Trumper in the 1910 census.

~~~~~
Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Painful Suspense

In this letter, Baird again chides his girlfriend Maggie for not writing to him, but also mentions the recent signing for the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863 by Lincoln and besides freeing all slaves (despite some limitations), it also allowed for African American men to enlist in service to the country. To read the actual Emancipation Proclamation, click here, it is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Washington Jan 7^th 1863

Dear Maggie,

I hardly know how to begin this letter. Four long weeks have now elapsed Since we came here and though I wrote you imediately, Still I have heard nothing from you. It seems as though there has been time enough for a reply to reach me, Since then though I may be mistaken. I have waited in painful  Suspense only to be disappointed. Thus far, I have written twice a week, as I promised you. Have none of my letters reached you?

The mail has been dillatory one way or the other. I trust, however, but a few more will pass ere I Shall receive the long expected letter from my Maggie, How much I would love to hear from you! It Seems almost an age Since my eyes have greeted one of your kind letters, and for the past week I have been almost inclined to feel that you nearly forgotten me. But it is’nt So, is it Maggie? Write soon, Maggie, do, and often. Don’t let So many weeks pass again before you write.

I have’nt much news to write now with the exception that we have very cold weather, The ground is frozen very hard. We have been very busy the last few days. Last Saturday we got our horses newly shod, and are now prepared, with the exception of being not yet armed, to take the field. Though on account of the latter failure we shall probably remain in camp for Sometime.

The news, I must confess, is rather more encouraging than Some weeks ago, though it still looks dark. The President’s last proclamation meets my views exactly. The making Soldiers of the colored population, as a part of it, will relieve the country, which has Suffered So much on account of the great demand for recruits for the army.

In my mind there are many “[colored]” who will take up arms for the Sake of liberty. But it is nearly time for “Roll Call” and bed time, and I must close.

I shall write again in a few days and you will not forget me will you? Give my respects to Miss Miller and your parents, and with my devoted love to yourself, I am Still, Maggie,

Your Own,

Matthew

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Write Often

Maggie Bowker, HCP Collection

Washington, D.C.
Jan. 3^rd, 1863

Dear Maggie,

It is now nearly 4 weeks Since we came to Washington, And though I wrote you imediately after our arrival, and though I have watched each successive mail with an anxiety know only to your-Self yet I have as often been [illegible] to disappointment.

I was almost sure that to-day I should certainly hear from you, but alas; the same luck attended me.

Nor have I heard from home either. I guess you have all forgotten me. Well, I’m hardly worth thinking about, and of course it is no wonder then that I get no letters. I presume, however, you will all take pity on me by and by and Send me a few lines. How cheering a few lines would be to hear from home, and those we love. These long evening while gathered around the campfires, how it would make the poor Soldiers heart pound, to get some such little token of remembered love, Some Such gentle proof of unbroken affection. Ah; you little know how much the Soldier thinks of home and those he has left behind, those whom he has gone to defend. You may think too that we are given to complaining but do you not remember, when we left, how you drew from us the promises to “write often”, and assured us that our letters should be met with a hearty and speedy response, but the answers thus far have been few and far between.

But I will not chide you too much.

I presume you would like to hear news but indeed you will get it much more correctly from the news papers and speedier than I can give it here. In fact we don’t hear anything correctly, nothing but rumors come our way. So you must excuse the scarcity of news in this.

Hoping and trusting that I shall hear from you directly, I will close this hastily written note. I am well, only tired, for we have been drilling pretty hard to-day.

With a sweet good night, I remain dear, yours as ever,

Matthew

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?

 

Matthew Baird – Dotted with Tents

Written just prior to the Christmas holiday, this letter is again addressed to Maggie Bowker. In the second paragraph Baird’s description of his view of Washington D.C. and the sounds is fascinating – you really get a sense of what he is experiencing. Here is a link to a map showing Washington D.C. and outlying camps and tents. Baird was again encamped at Meridian Hill.

 

Washington, Dec. 23^rd, 62

My dear Maggie,

I received your kind letter of Dec. 13^th, only last evening and I now hasten to pen you a few lines in reply. Your letter found me quite well with the exception of a very severe cold with which I have been troubled some time. When we first came here the weather was quite warm, almost hot, and have since had a sudden change, and for the past few days it has been very cold, and I think this is the cause of my cold, and most of the boys are in the Same fix. To-day, however, is beautiful, almost like Spring. Indeed while you are enjoying yourselves Sleighriding and frolicking at the evening parties, we are enjoying all the pleasures of a Michigan April, with the exception of now and then a chilly day.

I wish you could be with me now, just where I am sitting, (for I left the camp So that I might have the privilege of writing one letter in the quiet. ) and have the view I have. There is scarcely a direction that you may look, but your eye meets an encampment. Scarcely a hillside that is not dotted with tents. The whole country here is one grand military encampment. Washington abounds with hospitals. There is nothing to be heard around but the rattling of army waggons, the rolling of drums, and the sounding of bugles; with now and then the heavy booming of cannon in the far distance. If Virginia and the District of Columbia recover from the ravages of this unholy war in twenty years I shall miss my guess. There is nothing but desolation reigning every where. God forbid that as dire a calamity should ever befall our fair little State of Michigan.

Well Maggie, I presume you are anticipating grand times about Christmas and New Year, well you must try and enjoy yourself the very best you can. I regret only that it is not in my power, nor my lot to share those holy days with you. And while yourself and Miss Miller are enjoying yourselves, you must neither of you forget me, nor, indeed, any of the Soldiers.

Now Maggie, when you write again you must take time and write a_ O ever so long a letter. Your letters lately have been so brief, only a few short lines. Now, as to your teaching next summer, that should rest with yourself, you know whether you are competent to teach or not and if you are, I think it is the best thing you can do. You will, with care, if you improve your time, have every chance of informing yourself, and developing your mind. You must however, use your own judgement. I will inclose in this a short note to Miss Miller, according your request, which you will please hand her. And be sure and have her answer it.

Now do try and write once a week, and oftener if you can. Please excuse this ill looking letter, and wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New year.

I will close, remaining yours,
Constantly and ever,

Matthew

~~~~~

Who’s Matthew Baird?