# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Baird, Daniel

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​BAIRD. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 13; h-p., 31.)
Daniel Baird entered the Navy, 28 July, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Loire 46, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, and attained the rating of Midshipman 23 Feb. 1804. On 16 March and 17 Aug. in the same year, he assisted at the capture of the French privateers Braave, of 16 guns and 110 men, and (after a chase of 20 hours) Blonde, of 30 guns and 240 men; was under fire of the batteries in Muros Bay when they were gallantly stormed and carried, and the privateers Confiance and Bélier taken by the boats under Lieut, the late Sir Jas. Lucas Yeo, 4 June, 1805; aided, on 25 of the same month, in capturing another privateer, Le Vaillant, of force similar to the Blonde; on 24 Dec. following was in company with L’Egyptienne at the capture, after an obstinate resistance, of La Libre, of 40 guns and 280 men; and, in July, , conveyed to Sir Rich. Keats, off L’Orient, intelligence which led to the capture of Le Rhin, of 44 guns. He returned home, and was paid off in Oct. 1806; and, after an intermediate attachment to the Magnificent 74, Volontaire 38, and Royal William 98, was, in Dec. following, appointed, with Capt. Maitland, to the Emerald 36. In April, 1807, we find him contributing to the capture, among other vessels, of the Austerlitz privateer, of 14 guns and 96 men, and during the remainder of the year employed with the force under Sir Rich. John Strachan at the blockade of Rochefort. On the night of 13 March, 1808, Mr. Baird participated, under Lieut. Chas. Bertram, in a very desperate effort to bring out from Vivero harbour, on the coast of Spain, a large French schooner, L’Apropos, of 8 guns and 70 men, of which, while the majority of the boats were engaged with two heavy forts, he was deputed to take possession. The attack however proving impracticable, in consequence of the vessel having gone on shore at high water, she was eventually fired and blown up; previously to which, Mr. Baird, who had been rejoined by Lieut. Bertram, had taken part in a sharp affray with the enemy, and had been for several hours exposed to a galling fire from the musketry of a body of troops not 30 yards distant. He afterwards, in April, 1809, witnessed, as Master’s Mate, Lord Gambler’s destruction of the shipping in ​Basque Roads; left the Emerald in 1810; then joined in succession, for short periods, as a Supernumerary, the Pompée 80, Neptune 98, and Statira 33, all flag-ships of Sir Alex. Inglis Cochrane, in the West Indies; became attached, in the course of the same year, to the Conquestador 74, Capt. Lord Wm. Stuart, in the Channel; and, on 27 Dec. 1811, was taken prisoner in a brave but inauspicious attack on a French flotilla near Isle d’Aix. He returned from captivity 20 April, 1814; served, from May following until 28 May, 1815, as a Supernumerary Master’s Mate, in the Royal William, Capt. Robt. Hall, at Spithead, and Norge 74, Capt. Chas. Dashwood, in the West Indies; was then promoted by commission, ante-dated to 3 Feb. 1815,into the Emulous 16, Capts. Thos. Wren Carter and Caleb Jackson; came home and was placed on half-pay, 27 June, 1816; and has not since been afloat. Agents – Messrs. Chard.