William Teel Baird ( – February 23, 1897) was a Canadian military figure of the 19th century.

Biography

Baird was born on the upper Saint John River in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

where his father, John Baird, was a school teacher. The younger Baird was trained as a pharmacist and in 1839 he moved to

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

to open his own business. There he explored his many interests including music and books. His first interest was the militia, which he had joined in

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

in 1836, and he continued with this pursuit in his new home. Baird made large contributions to the militia in the province beginning in 1861 and the Trent Affair where he organized the militia to thwart British troop desertions. Under instructions from Lieutenant Governor Arthur Hamilton Gordon, he organized the ''Home Guard'' during the time of the threat of Fenian raids. In 1869 when the New Brunswick Militia units were restructured into the new post-confederation

Canadian Militia The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...

, Baird became the first commanding officer of the newly formed 67th Battalion, The Carleton Light Infantry. He retired as a Quartermaster General. William Teel Baird's other noteworthy contribution to history was his autobiography, ''Seventy years of New Brunswick life'', which gives a particular insight into the militia and the political climate of the times.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, William Teel 1810s births 1897 deaths Canadian Militia officers Businesspeople from New Brunswick Canadian people of Anglo-Irish descent People from Fredericton People of the Fenian raids Canadian autobiographers