Richard Baird Smith - Revision history

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	{{short description\|British engineer officer}}		{{short description\|British engineer officer}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=~~April 2012~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2022}}
	~~[[File:~~Richard Baird Smith.jpg\|~~thumb~~]]		{{Infobox person
	'''Richard Baird Smith''' (31 December 1818 – 13 December 1861) was a ~~[[United Kingdom\|~~British]] engineer officer in the [[East India Company]], who played a prominent part as Chief Engineer in the [[Siege of Delhi]] of 1857.		\| name = Richard Baird Smith
			\| image = Richard Baird Smith.jpg
			\| caption =
			\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1818\|12\|31}}
			\| birth_name =
			\| birth_place = [[Lasswade]], [[Scotland]]
			\| death_date = {{Death date and age\|df=yes\|1861\|12\|13\|1818\|12\|31}}
			\| death_place = [[Delhi]], [[British India]]
			\| body_discovered =
			\| education =
			\| occupation = Engineer official
			\| spouse = Florence Elizabeth
			\| children = Florence May Smith<br>Margaret Eleanor Smith
			\| known_for = Chief Engineer during the [[Siege of Delhi]]
			}}

			'''Richard Baird Smith''' (31 December 1818 – 13 December 1861) was a British engineer officer in the [[East India Company]], who played a prominent part as Chief Engineer in the [[Siege of Delhi]] of 1857.

	==Early life==		==Early life==
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	Baird Smith, however, prevented Wilson from relaxing his hold on Delhi until the arrival of [[John Nicholson (general)\|John Nicholson]] with reinforcements from the [[Punjab region\|Punjab]], and of the siege train from Phillour. Nicholson then joined Baird Smith in compelling Wilson to make [[Siege of Delhi#The capture of Delhi\|the assault]], which proved successful, on 14 September. Baird Smith was ably assisted by Captain Alexander Taylor, but Nicholson was unjust to Baird Smith in assigning to Taylor the chief credit for the siege operations.		Baird Smith, however, prevented Wilson from relaxing his hold on Delhi until the arrival of [[John Nicholson (general)\|John Nicholson]] with reinforcements from the [[Punjab region\|Punjab]], and of the siege train from Phillour. Nicholson then joined Baird Smith in compelling Wilson to make [[Siege of Delhi#The capture of Delhi\|the assault]], which proved successful, on 14 September. Baird Smith was ably assisted by Captain Alexander Taylor, but Nicholson was unjust to Baird Smith in assigning to Taylor the chief credit for the siege operations.

	After the capture of Delhi he returned to Roorkee and to civil employment, and for a time the value of his military services was insufficiently recognized. After the Mutiny he was made [[Aide-de-camp\|ADC]] to [[~~Victoria of the United Kingdom\|~~Queen Victoria]], became secretary to the government of India in the public works department, and gained well-deserved credit in the famine of 1861. But the onerous character of this work, following a wound and illness at Delhi, broke down his constitution, and he died at sea on 13 December 1861.		After the capture of Delhi he returned to Roorkee and to civil employment, and for a time the value of his military services was insufficiently recognized. After the Mutiny he was made [[Aide-de-camp\|ADC]] to [[Queen Victoria]], became secretary to the government of India in the public works department, and gained well-deserved credit in the famine of 1861. But the onerous character of this work, following a wound and illness at Delhi, broke down his constitution, and he died at sea on 13 December 1861.

	==Personal life==		==Personal life==
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	*{{cite book \|first=H.M. \|last=Vibart \|title=Addiscombe: its heroes and men of note \|place=Westminster \|publisher=Archibald Constable \|year=1894 \|pages=461–70 \|url=https://archive.org/stream/addiscombeitsher00viba#page/460/mode/2up }}		*{{cite book \|first=H.M. \|last=Vibart \|title=Addiscombe: its heroes and men of note \|place=Westminster \|publisher=Archibald Constable \|year=1894 \|pages=461–70 \|url=https://archive.org/stream/addiscombeitsher00viba#page/460/mode/2up }}
	<!-- https://archive.org/stream/biographicalnoti00thaciala#page/100/mode/2up source to check -->		<!-- https://archive.org/stream/biographicalnoti00thaciala#page/100/mode/2up source to check -->

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
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	[[Category:1861 deaths]]		[[Category:1861 deaths]]
	[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]		[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]
			[[Category:Bengal Engineers officers]]
	[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]		[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
	[[Category:British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]		[[Category:British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
	[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War]]		[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War]]
	[[Category:People who died at sea]]		[[Category:People who died at sea]]
	~~[[Category:Bengal Engineers officers]]~~

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{{short description|British engineer officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
[[File:Richard Baird Smith.jpg|thumb]]
'''Richard Baird Smith''' (31 December 1818 – 13 December 1861) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] engineer officer in the [[East India Company]], who played a prominent part as Chief Engineer in the [[Siege of Delhi]] of 1857.

==Early life==
Baird Smith was born on 31 December 1818 in [[Lasswade]], Midlothian, the son of Richard Smith (1794–1863), a [[Royal Navy]] surgeon now in private practice, and his wife, Margaret Young (1800–1829). He was educated at the [[Lasswade High School Centre|Lasswade School]] and at [[Duns, Scottish Borders|Duns]] Academy.<ref name="odnb">Vetch and Stearn 2004.</ref>

==Career==
[[File:The impressive Baird Smith monument in Lasswade.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Baird Smith monument in [[Lasswade]]]]
Baird Smith proceeded to the [[East India Company]]'s [[Addiscombe Military Seminary|Military Seminary at Addiscombe]], from where he obtained his commission in December 1836.<ref>Vibart 1897, p. 461.</ref> He joined the [[Madras Engineer Group|Madras Engineers]] in 1838. Being transferred to the [[Bengal Engineer Group|Bengal Engineers]], he served through the [[second Anglo-Sikh War]], and was present at the battles of Hatiiwal, [[Battle of Aliwal|Aliwal]] and [[battle of Sobraon|Sobraon]]. He was then for some years employed on canal work, and when the [[Indian Mutiny]] broke out was in charge of [[Roorkee]]. He promptly concentrated the Europeans in the workshops, and though the native sappers deserted, his forethought prevented any loss of life.

When [[Siege of Delhi|Delhi was invested]] he was appointed chief engineer in charge of the siege works. He reached Delhi on the end of July, and immediately advised [[Henry Barnard|General Barnard]] to assault the city. Barnard died while the advice was still under consideration, and his successor, General Reed, could not be induced to follow it; and when Reed in turn was succeeded by [[Archdale Wilson]], the besiegers were so weakened by losses that the moment for a successful attack had passed.

Baird Smith, however, prevented Wilson from relaxing his hold on Delhi until the arrival of [[John Nicholson (general)|John Nicholson]] with reinforcements from the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], and of the siege train from Phillour. Nicholson then joined Baird Smith in compelling Wilson to make [[Siege of Delhi#The capture of Delhi|the assault]], which proved successful, on 14 September. Baird Smith was ably assisted by Captain Alexander Taylor, but Nicholson was unjust to Baird Smith in assigning to Taylor the chief credit for the siege operations.

After the capture of Delhi he returned to Roorkee and to civil employment, and for a time the value of his military services was insufficiently recognized. After the Mutiny he was made [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]] to [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]], became secretary to the government of India in the public works department, and gained well-deserved credit in the famine of 1861. But the onerous character of this work, following a wound and illness at Delhi, broke down his constitution, and he died at sea on 13 December 1861.

==Personal life==
Baird Smith married Florence Elizabeth, second daughter of the writer [[Thomas De Quincey]], on 10 January 1856. The couple had two daughters, Florence May and Margaret Eleanor.<ref name="odnb"/>

==Memorials==
A memorial to Smith by [[George Gilbert Scott]] stands in St Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/sculpture/philip/17.html|title = "Monument to Colonel Richard Baird Smith," by George Gilbert Scott and John Birnie Philip}}</ref>

A very large memorial to both Smith and his father stands in their home town of [[Lasswade]] just north of the Old Kirkyard.

==Further reading==
*{{Cite ODNB |first1=R. H. |last1=Vetch |first2=Roger T. |last2=Stearn |title=Smith, Richard Baird (1818–1861) |edition=online |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/25888 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25888 |accessdate=17 February 2016 }}
*{{cite book |first=H.M. |last=Vibart |title=Richard Baird Smith, the leader of the Delhi heroes in 1857: private correspondence of the Commanding Engineers during the siege, etc. |place=London |publisher=Constable |year=1897 }}
*{{cite book |first=H.M. |last=Vibart |title=Addiscombe: its heroes and men of note |place=Westminster |publisher=Archibald Constable |year=1894 |pages=461–70 |url=https://archive.org/stream/addiscombeitsher00viba#page/460/mode/2up }}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{1911|wstitle=Smith, Richard Baird|volume=25|pages=267–268}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Richard Baird}}
[[Category:1818 births]]
[[Category:1861 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War]]
[[Category:People who died at sea]]
[[Category:Bengal Engineers officers]]