avid Baird was born on 6th December 1757, in Edinburgh, the fifth son of William Baird, Esquire, and heir to his cousin, Sir John Baird of Newbyth. He enlisted in 1772 and fought with the 73rd Regiment at Pollilur, where he was captured by Tipu and imprisoned for four years at Seringapatam. He survived, and distinguished himself in the Third Mysore War at the capture of Savandrug. In the final Mysore War, he led the British attack on Seringapatam in 1799. He died at Ferntower, near Crieff in Perthshire, on 18 August 1829.

This portrait is not directly related to the Mysore Wars but shows the general three years after the Fall of Seringapatam, when he was fighting in the Egyptian campaigns. The watercolour, and an even more characterful drawing by Thomas Hickey, dated Madras 21 September 1799, are far more vigorous portraits than the much more famous, posthumous, full-length icon commissioned by Baird's widow from Sir David Wilkie in 1834. It was said of Baird that few men of his time filled a broader space in the public eye than he, a claim that is more than justified by Baird's long and impressive military career:

	6th Dec 1757	Born Edinburgh
	1772	Ensign, 73rd Regiment
	24 Sept. 1778	Captain, 73rd, under Sir Hector Munro
	Jan 1780	To Madras, wounded & taken prisoner at
	Sept 1780	Battle of Pollilur
	March 1784	Released from prison; joined Regt at Arcot (73rd re-numbered 71st )
	June 1781	Major, 71st
	Oct 1787	Returned to Britain
	Dec 1790	Lieutenant, 71st
	1791	Returned to India, taking part in the reduction of Tipu's hill-forts, especially Savendroog, and action at Seringapatam, 1791 and 1792
	Sept 1795	Colonel, 71st
	Dec. 1797	Brigadier General 71st, to Cape of Good Hope
	June 1798	Major General, 71st, and after some time in The Cape, asked to return to India
	1st Feb 1799	Joined the Army forming at Vellore
	4th May 1799	Led the final attack on Seringapatam
	May 1801	Colonel, 54th
	1802	Egyptian campaign against the French
	1803	Mahratta campaign, taken prisoner by a French Privateer on the journey home
	1804	Knighted
	1805	Lt.Gen. commanding a force against the Dutch settlers at the Cape of Good Hope
	1807	Fought at the bombardment of Copenhagen
	1808	Second in command to Sir John More at Corunna in Spain. Lost his left arm in an attack by the French
	1808	Awarded Knight of the Bath
	1809	Baronet, for gallantry in Spanish campaign
	1829	Governor of Fort St George
	18th Aug 1829	Died Ferntower, Perthshire