Oregon Senator Edward Dickinson Baker died defending the Union 150 years ago
Oregon is in full participation in the national commemoration of the American Civil War,and one of our tributes is the observance of the 150th Anniversary of the death of Oregon Senator Edward Dickinson Baker at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, Virginia which will be held in Salem, Oregon on October 21, 2011. This special event is sponsored by the Oregon Civil War 150th Anniversary Commission and is a special project of NW Historical Perspectives and Events. Senator Baker and his family were living in Salem, Oregon when the Civil War started, and he returned to the East Coast to raise the troops that he led into Battle at Ball's Bluff, near Leesburg, Virginia. Senator and Brigadier General E.D. Ned Baker (a posthumous promotion) was the only sitting United States Senator in American History to die in battle. Baker County and the city of Baker, Oregon are named in honor of our fallen statesman and warrior. -K.C.Piccard