A Friend To The Indians

Douglas Hancock Cooper an Indian Agent in what is now Oklahoma and a Confederate General was born November 1st 1815 in Mississippi.


Douglas Hancock Cooper was born in Amite County Mississippi, November 1st 1815 the son of David Cooper a Baptist minister. He went to the University of Virginia from 1832 until 1834. Not caring for studying, Cooper went back home to take up farming. He married Mary Collins and they had seven children. In 1844 Cooper was elected to the Mississippi State Legislature. When the Mexican American War started he raised a regiment of the 1st Mississippi Rifles. President Franklin Pierce appointed Cooper as a federal agent to the Choctaw Indians, and he help remove them to the Indian Territory.

When the Civil War began Cooper chose to side with the Confederacy. He raised what would be know as the 1st Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles. Cooper was made their Colonel and given brigade command. He led troops at the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, and Honey Springs. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1863 and given military command of the Indian Territory. During Confederate General Sterling Price’s second invasion of Missouri in 1864, Cooper commanded the “Indian Brigade”.

When the Civil War ended Cooper persisted in living in the Indian territory where he helped the Chickasaw and Choctaw with their claims against the United States Government. Cooper died April 29th 1879 at Fort Washita, Bryan County Oklahoma. He was buried at the old fort in an unmarked grave.

The Death Of A Statesman

General Edward Dickinson Baker a Union leader was killed October 21st 1861, the only sitting United States senator to be killed during the Civil War.

Edward Dickinson Baker was born February 24th 1811 in London, England to Edward and Lucy [Dickinson] Baker. The family immigrated to Philadelphia in 1816. The family moved to New Harmony Indiana, and then latter to Belleville Illinois. Given access to the law library of Governor Ninian Edwards, Baker would latter move to Carrollton Illinois where he would be admitted to the bar in 1830. Baker met Abraham Lincoln in 1835. Entering politics he was elected the Illinois House of Representatives in 1837, and the Senate from 1840-44. Baker defeated Lincoln in 1844 for the Whig nomination for the 29th US Congress. Baker and Lincoln remained friends however, with Lincoln naming his second son Eddie after him.

Baker dropped out of politics during the Mexican American War and served as a Colonel in the 4th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers. After being honorably mustered out he moved to Galena, Illinois, where he was elected to the 31st Congress. When he didn't receive a cabinet appointment from President Franklin Pierce, Baker moved to San Francisco, California, and resumed the practice of law. In 1860 Baker moved to Oregon where he filled a Republican vacancy in the Unites States Senate. While serving in the senate, Baker organized the California Brigade mostly from men living in Philadelphia, and served as their Colonel. He was latter assigned to a command of a brigade in Union General Charles Pomeroy Stone’s division. On October 21st 1861 while leading troops, Baker was killed during the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. He is buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery. Three years after Baker’s death the government granted his widow Mary Ann a pension.