William Henry Baker
William is believed to have been born around 1827 in Tennessee. At some point before 1853 he moved to Dent County, Missouri; where he married Keziah Arthur. He lived in Dent County until the summer of 1861 at which point he enlisted in the Confederate Army, along with his brother John and neighbor Moses Provence.
William joined the 1st Infantry Regiment, 7th Division of the Missouri State Guard. He served with them until December 1861, at which point he was hospitalized for Typhoid. After a two month stay in the hospital he re-enlisted with the 4th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Division of the Missouri State Guard. He served with them until he was captured during battle on May 20th, 1862.
William was sent to Alton Prison in Illinois where he penned two letters home to his wife Keziah. Who thank goodness, kept the letters and passed them down. He was then part of a prisoner exchange in Mississippi on September 23rd, 1862. Then on November 17th, 1862, at Camp Horsehead Arkansas, he re-enlisted with the 8th Battalion, Missouri Infantry, Company B.
While in Little Rock in the summer of 1863, something happened to William, exactly what is unknown, but there are a few clues. With his war records is a document listing a S.O. No 66-3 as possibly containing information about his death.
**NEW DISCOVERY**
While searching for S.O. No 66, I found a whole new document in William's own hand. His confession to the Union Army after his capture in Phelps County. I've posted the document below.
If any one has information pertaining to this document or William's death. Please use the Contact Me Page. This is the greatest mystery in my family tree and I would love to solve it one day.
Below I have listed the soldiers that served with William in the 8th Missouri Infantry, Battalion, Company B.
***UPDATED NEW INFO***
The National Archives has located Special Order 66, finally. After two attempts and a couple months of waiting I didn't think it would happen. The order finally arrived and is posted below.
William joined the 1st Infantry Regiment, 7th Division of the Missouri State Guard. He served with them until December 1861, at which point he was hospitalized for Typhoid. After a two month stay in the hospital he re-enlisted with the 4th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Division of the Missouri State Guard. He served with them until he was captured during battle on May 20th, 1862.
William was sent to Alton Prison in Illinois where he penned two letters home to his wife Keziah. Who thank goodness, kept the letters and passed them down. He was then part of a prisoner exchange in Mississippi on September 23rd, 1862. Then on November 17th, 1862, at Camp Horsehead Arkansas, he re-enlisted with the 8th Battalion, Missouri Infantry, Company B.
While in Little Rock in the summer of 1863, something happened to William, exactly what is unknown, but there are a few clues. With his war records is a document listing a S.O. No 66-3 as possibly containing information about his death.
**NEW DISCOVERY**
While searching for S.O. No 66, I found a whole new document in William's own hand. His confession to the Union Army after his capture in Phelps County. I've posted the document below.
If any one has information pertaining to this document or William's death. Please use the Contact Me Page. This is the greatest mystery in my family tree and I would love to solve it one day.
Below I have listed the soldiers that served with William in the 8th Missouri Infantry, Battalion, Company B.
***UPDATED NEW INFO***
The National Archives has located Special Order 66, finally. After two attempts and a couple months of waiting I didn't think it would happen. The order finally arrived and is posted below.
Roster List of 8th Missouri Infantry, Battalion Company B
Chain of Command:
Captain -Alexander D. Ellis
First Lieutenant -William Henry Baker
Second Lieutenant -Fielding Yeager Doke
Sgt. -Abram G. Hayter
First Sgt. -James A. Small
First Sgt. -James J. Williams
Second Sgt. -Mathew D. Forehand
Corporal -John N. Alverson
Corporal -Andrew J. Greenwall
Corporal -Abner S. Harper
Corporal -Alfred L. Montgomery
Privates:
Oliver C. Bailey
James Blanton
Maston P. Box
David M. Butler
Benjamin F. Campbell
James M. Campbell
John L. Campbell
William J. L. Carder/Carter
George W. Craig
Mitchel Crigger
Joseph Davis
Charles Dennis
Lorenzo D. Evans
Isaac H. Eversole
Joel Fields
John M. Fitzwater
William W. Fitzwater
Eli P. Forehand
Abraham B. Frank
Cyrus B. Gaither
Thomas A. Gardner
Brooks M. Hancock
William A. Hartie
James H. Hendricks
William Hicks
James M. Holland
Thomas A. Hudson
George W. Hutton
Henry W. Inman
William H. Isgrigg
Milton H. Jackson
Henry W. Jamison
Robert W. Jamison
James Johnson
Charles G. Kyle
Abram Landers
John M. Lanning
William J. Lennox
George Logan
John R. Massey
Elias Matheny
William E. Mc Waters
Robert V. Pace
John Perrie
Mc Kindry R. Poisal
Lewis J. Ramsey
Charles B. Ravenscraft
Andrew J. Ricketts
Andrew J. Riddle
Benjamin T. Riney
John Rutledge
George H. Sanders
David Scott
Joseph E. Sexton
John W. Smith
William J. Smith
James V. Snodgrass
William C. Stacy
Phillip Standford
Greenberry B. Stephens
William J. Stephens
Josiah Thorne
William Thorne
Robert P. Throgmartin
Robert R.P. Todd
Thomas B. Tolbert
Anderson Tombs
Ephriam M. Welch
John C. Welch
Albert G. Williams
Captain -Alexander D. Ellis
First Lieutenant -William Henry Baker
Second Lieutenant -Fielding Yeager Doke
Sgt. -Abram G. Hayter
First Sgt. -James A. Small
First Sgt. -James J. Williams
Second Sgt. -Mathew D. Forehand
Corporal -John N. Alverson
Corporal -Andrew J. Greenwall
Corporal -Abner S. Harper
Corporal -Alfred L. Montgomery
Privates:
Oliver C. Bailey
James Blanton
Maston P. Box
David M. Butler
Benjamin F. Campbell
James M. Campbell
John L. Campbell
William J. L. Carder/Carter
George W. Craig
Mitchel Crigger
Joseph Davis
Charles Dennis
Lorenzo D. Evans
Isaac H. Eversole
Joel Fields
John M. Fitzwater
William W. Fitzwater
Eli P. Forehand
Abraham B. Frank
Cyrus B. Gaither
Thomas A. Gardner
Brooks M. Hancock
William A. Hartie
James H. Hendricks
William Hicks
James M. Holland
Thomas A. Hudson
George W. Hutton
Henry W. Inman
William H. Isgrigg
Milton H. Jackson
Henry W. Jamison
Robert W. Jamison
James Johnson
Charles G. Kyle
Abram Landers
John M. Lanning
William J. Lennox
George Logan
John R. Massey
Elias Matheny
William E. Mc Waters
Robert V. Pace
John Perrie
Mc Kindry R. Poisal
Lewis J. Ramsey
Charles B. Ravenscraft
Andrew J. Ricketts
Andrew J. Riddle
Benjamin T. Riney
John Rutledge
George H. Sanders
David Scott
Joseph E. Sexton
John W. Smith
William J. Smith
James V. Snodgrass
William C. Stacy
Phillip Standford
Greenberry B. Stephens
William J. Stephens
Josiah Thorne
William Thorne
Robert P. Throgmartin
Robert R.P. Todd
Thomas B. Tolbert
Anderson Tombs
Ephriam M. Welch
John C. Welch
Albert G. Williams