John Baker (Medal Of Honor, 1876)
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Musician John Baker was a soldier in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and a recipient of the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
.


Biography

John Baker was born in the
Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...
, about 1855, emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the United States Army from
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. Baker was assigned to Company D of the 5th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel (later Lieutenant General)
Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...
, and served in
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
where his regiment was fighting the
Lakota Sioux The Lakota (; or ) are a Native American people. Also known as the Teton Sioux (from ), they are one of the three prominent subcultures of the Sioux people, with the Eastern Dakota (Santee) and Western Dakota (). Their current lands are in N ...
under the leadership of
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...
. Baker distinguished himself at the
Battle of Cedar Creek (1876) The Battle of Cedar Creek (also called Big Dry Creek or Big Dry River) occurred on October 21, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Lakota Sioux Native Americans during the Great Sioux War of 1876. Th ...
and in other engagements between October 1876 and January 1877. On April 27, 1877, he was awarded the Medal of Honor "for gallantry in engagements at Cedar Creek, Montana and other campaigns during the period 21 October 1876 to 8 January 1877." His later life and place of burial are unknown.


Medal of Honor citation

''The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Musician John Baker, United States Army, for gallantry in engagements at Cedar Creek, Montana and other campaigns during the period 21 October 1876 to 8 January 1877, while serving with Company D, 5th U.S. Infantry.'' Date of Issue: April 27, 1877. Action Date: October 21, 1876 to January 8, 1877.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, John (Medal of Honor, 1876) 1850s births Year of death missing Hessian emigrants to the United States United States Army soldiers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor People of the Great Sioux War of 1876