He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1856 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. cavalry.

Bayard was shot in the face with a Kiowa arrow on July 11, 1860, and suffered considerable pain for months.

On November 26, 1861, he was and his cavalry rode into the crossroads hamlet of Dranesville in Fairfax County, Virginia, to investigate reports of Confederate activity.

With his old wound still bothering him, Bayard took a leave of absence for 13 days in September and consequently missed the Battle of Antietam.

[4][7] At the battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, Bayard was awaiting orders at the Bernard house, Union General William B. Franklin's headquarters.

An artillery round bounced through the front yard and struck Bayard in the upper leg, doing irreparable damage to the inguinal artery.

Bayard Street in Pacific Beach, San Diego, California, and in his hometown, Seneca Falls, New York, were named after him.