John Baker (Medal of Honor, 1876)

A musician shows his courage in the fighting at Cedar Creek.

John Baker was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1853. He served as a musician in Company D, 5th U.S. Infantry, during the Army's nineteenth-century campaigns in the American West.

His Medal of Honor recognized conduct in engagements from October 21, 1876, through January 8, 1877, at Cedar Creek and other locations in Montana. The citation describes his gallantry in only three words and does not identify particular tactical movements or rescues.

General William T. Sherman presented the medal at a parade at the cantonment near the Yellowstone and Tongue rivers in Montana Territory on July 18, 1877. The award was accredited to Brooklyn, New York. Baker's death date, burial place, and later career are not supplied in the cited official record. His award preserves recognition of an enlisted musician's courage during active campaigning.

Official Medal of Honor citation: Gallantry in engagements.