Military officer; born at
Martinsburg, Lewis co., N. Y., June 4, 1834; was graduated at
West Point in 1856, and entered, as lieutenant, the 2d Artillery, then stationed at Fort
Ontario,
Oswego, N. Y., where, in 1858, he married a daughter of
Col. G. W. Patten, U. S. A. He was afterwards stationed at
Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and when the
Civil War began he was acting adjutant of the post at
Fort Brown, Texas, whose commander,
Captain Stoneman, refused to surrender to the
Confederates of
Texas in obedience to the orders of
General Twiggs.
Captain Stoneman chartered a steamboat, and, after securing the most valuable public property there, evacuated the fort and sailed for New York, where he arrived March 15, 1861.
Soon afterwards
Lieutenant Bailey was sent with reinforcements for
Fort Pickens.
His mission was successful.
Sickness finally compelled him to return to New York to recruit his strength.
Soon afterwards he was requested by
Governor Morgan to organize a State regiment of light artillery, of which he was made colonel.
With these troops, which he had well disciplined at
Elmira, he went to
Washington, and in the spring of 1862 he joined the Army of the Potomac at
Fort Monroe.
At the
battle of fair Oaks, or
seven Pines (q. v.),
Colonel Bailey was in
General Casey's division.
When the sudden and furious attack was made, the infantry
[
247]
fell back, leaving
Colonel Bailey's battery exposed.
Instead of retreating and leaving his guns in the hands of the
Confederates, he determined to make their spoils useless to them.
Leaping from his horse, he was in the act of spiking one of the guns with his own hand, when the bullet of a sharp-shooter penetrated his brain, and he fell dead.
May 31, 1862.
