Edward Dickinson Baker was a politician, lawyer, and military leader. Baker served in both houses of Congress in Illinois and later in both houses on a federal level —first on behalf of Illinois in the House of Representatives and later as a Senator from Oregon. He was a long-time friend of President Abraham Lincoln and served as a United States Army Colonel in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. It was during the Battle of Balls Bluff that Baker was slain while leading Union troops. It’s said that Lincoln…
