The Americans were suddenly attacked at sunrise. The British were Cavalry and came up a land or road and before the Americans had time to do anything, the whole road was full of Red Coats. Besides the killed and wounded about ninety Americans were taken prisoners. Baird could have gotten away in safety but when the American retreat began he tarried upon the field looking for his brother whom he thought to be among the wounded, thus he was captured. I never heard which brother this was. This reference to the brother was given me by my Aunt Nancy.
After his capture Baird was taken from Philadelphis into eastern New Jersey, not far from New York, where he and other prisoners were confined in a large stone barn. One account says this confinement lasted three months, other accounts, however, say it lasted till the next winter, when 15 of the prisoners, including Baird, dug under the stone wall of the barn. Libby Prison fashion, and got away. It also stated that the ground was frozen and had to be broken when they dug up to the surface on the outside.
In his old age, William Baird took his grandson, John K. Wilson upon his knee and told him about "Crooked Billet", and then said to him "John, I want you to remember the British. After they captured me at Crooked Billet they put me in that big stone barn and starved me."
On referring to letters received from my uncle John in 1889, I learn from his statements to me that it was a cousin his grandfather went to hunt for at the battle of "Crooked Billet" and not his brother. The cousin was lucky enough to get away from the British, while the one hunting for him was himself captured.
While imprisoned in eastern New Jersey there were about 70 American prisoners in the big stone house or barn. The men were two weeks digging under the wall, as they had nothing to dig with but a few case knives and some Jack knives. The ground was frozen on the surface as it was in December, and the ground on the surface had to be broken from below, which had delayed the work before the men could get out. They had hoped to break through at midnight, but it was nearly dawn when they finally got through. My great-grandfather Baird and about 15 others got out and made good their escape when the British discovering what was up, stopped the rest, killing some. Path Valley, Pennsylvania at the time of the Revolution was a part of Cumberland County. Franlin County, in which the valley is situated at present, was not formed till 1784. The names of only four of the men who fell at Crooket Billet are known to me - Capt. John Downey, mentioned in the inscription on the monument, and three others, Capt. Robert Mccoy, William Dean and William Sterret, members of the Presbyterian church at Mercersburg, mentioned on page 104, "Churches of the Valley", by Rev. Alfred Nevin, Philadelphia. Joseph M. Wilson, Publisher, 1852.
John Killin, a participant in the Battle of Crooked Billet made his ---------- at West Union, Ohio. He died there in 1845, one of the latest survivors of the soldiers of the Revolution in that region.
The foregoing is correct.
A.C. Wilson