William Baker was born 29 November 1840 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, the son of Jacob Baker and Mary Ann Ramp. The family moved to Ohio in 1852, living first in Crawford County before finally settling in Wyandot County in 1859.
William was called up in the summer of 1862 for military service, but was not able to go as he was down with typhoid fever. His brother, David Luther Baker, went in is place and was in Company A of the 123rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry where he served until 1865.
In September of 1864 William, together with eleven others from Richland Township, went to Columbus and enlisted on the 29th of that month as a private to serve as a soldier in the Army of the United States of America for a period of one year. His enlistment papers were signed by Lieutenant Abram Houghland, the recruiting officer for the 186th OVI, but the Lieutenant's company was reassigned to the 175th as Company I. The newly formed unit was mustered in on October 8th at Camp Chase and proceeded to Camp Dennison where the it joined the regiment and received orders to go to Nashville by way of Cincinnati and Louisville.
In Tennessee the 175th guarded the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad near Columbia. When General John Bell Hood was advancing toward Nashville, the regiment was assigned to the First Brigade, Third Division, Twenty Third Army Corps and was placed on the left of center in reserve at Franklin. When the Confederates broke the Union line on November 30th , the 175th fixed bayonets and drove the Rebels back - losing one hundred and sixty one officers and men killed, wounded and missing.
After the engagement, the regiment fell back to Nashville and took position at Fort Negley during the Battle of Nashville. In December of 1864 the regiment was again ordered to Columbia to resume guarding the railroad and in garrison duty.
William Baker was promoted to the rank of corporal on April 1st of 1865. Two stories have come down: one that many of the men in the company were from the city and had never had a weapon in their hands and the other that after the Battle of Franklin there was a post in the middle of the field that was covered on the north side with lead while the southern side had only a few mini balls impacted. He is reported to have said: "Them Reb' squirrel hunters sure can shoot".
William returned to Wyandot County and married Malinda Starr on 27 December 1866; they had six children together. In later years he was active in the Wilkerson Post Number 264 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Wharton, Ohio. Before his death on 19 February 1929 he served as the Post Commander.
I am in possession of the original discharge for Corporal William Baker, my great grandfather.
Harrison Scott Baker II