The papers of the Frederick A. Bird are divided into two series, Papers and Photographs.
Papers (1862-1868) consist largely of the quartermaster records compiled and collected by Bird from 1863 through the end of the war in 1865. The records document the types of supplies an infantry regiment used during the war as well as the frequency with which they used them. They also provide the terminology used to describe these supplies in the mid-nineteenth century. The three main categories of supplies are clothing, camp and garrison equipage; ordnance and ordnance stores; and quartermaster stores. In addition to those forms, others pertain to stationery, animals, and forage. The multiple forms relating to animals and their care show the importance of horses and mules to the Union army for transportation. Other records of interest document how Civil War quartermasters recorded supplies that were lost or destroyed, transferred to officers, or that arrived in insufficient quantities. This series also contains some correspondence, mostly relating to the filing of reports. There are several letters describing Bird's wound and supporting the fact that he needed to be excused from service during recovery. A blank parole form for Confederate soldiers shows the conditions to which captured Rebels had to agree in order to be released from captivity. The draft exemption certificate, filled out for a man named Thomas Cutler, reveals that men could avoid the draft if the had a documented medical condition.
Photographs (1861-1903) included various portrait poses of Bird from 1861 to 1903. Two photographs show him in his uniform and others, taken in later years, show him with his G.A.R. pin prominently displayed. The collection also includes a circa 1898 photograph of Bird with G.A.R. Dept. of Wisconsin Commander C.H. Russell and Assistant Adjutant General J.W. Curran in what appears to be the Department headquarters in Madison. Also included is one copy negative taken of a photograph in the collection showing three mounted portraits of Bird showing him from 1861, 1862, and 1903.
