Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-12-27
A UNION SCOUT.
he Served in the Ranks of the Enemy and
Had Many Narrow Escapes.


tiful Medal by General Hancock-His OAR
ing Exploits, Imprisonments and Escapes
A Model Old Man.
Possibly the most unobtrusive man
in Kansas City, says the Times OF tina,
city, is the one who has had the most
adventurous career. His name is
Dewitt G. Taylor, and three years ago
he passed the allotted three score years
and ten. For four years during the
civil war he was known as Milton,
the Scout" and on May %, 1864, the
day before the grand review Of the fed
eral troops at Washington, General
Hancock called him to platform and
before vast army presented him with
an enameled silver medal for his gall
liant services as scout This medal he
now wears beneath his military coat.
1t contains four links OF solid silver.
each two and half inches square. and
engraved thereon the name OF his army
corps and the battles in which he par
ticipated.
Mr.. Taylor rarely speaks OF his adj
ventures and it is with extreme difi-
Guilty that even his old army friends
can prevail on him to relate any one
OF his many thrilling experiences. lie
is modest and retiring and neither his
bearing nor his facial expression give
any evidence OF the sufferings and per-
lis he experienced during his life as n
scout. He was captured four times
during the war and twice he was
mt .,,.fi la1 N
be shot. The narrowest escape
with his life occurred soon after the
battle OF Cold Harbor. Taylor had
entered Lees army soon after the bat
tie as II deserter from the federal fore
es. He was suspected, watched and
finally court martialed and sentenced
to be hanged. Eight soldiers were
commanded TO guard him and he was
sent across the country to General
Lees headquarters, where he was to
be hanged Taylor determined to
either gain his freedom en- route or
lose his life. 1t happened that in
travelling across the country black
berry patch was encountered. The
soldiers were tired and hungry aud
left one OF their number TO guard the
prisoner while they strolled in quest of
berries. Taylor's time had come. He
had no weapon except a sheath knife
with a blade about four inches long,
which was concealed under his shirt.
lie watched his opportunity aud while
the soldier was off guard threw one
arm around his head, placing it over
his mouth to stine the cries. His
knife then did its work. Aiming him
self with the revolvers of the dead
soldier, the scout secreted himself in
a ravine and waited until the soldiers
had passed him in their search.
This was only one of a hundred
thrilling incidents in his career. At
one time he was being pursued by five
confederate soldiers on horseback an d
emptied four saddles before he could
make his escape. Taylor enlisted in
the Second Michigan regiment in
April, 1861, and the following year was
transferred to the Twenty-fourth
Nj chigan, where he served until
mustered out in 1865. He is now
lieutenant colonel Of company A. Kan
sas City veterans. He was detained az
a scout in 1862, shortly after being
transferred TO the Twenty fourth
Michigan, and reported direct to
Generals Meade or Hancock. His duty
was TO keep posted on Lees move
ments and stay at headquarters. For
PEELED to remain in the confede rate
ranks doing duty as a soldier.
IL believe the confederates kept a
much closer guard on suspects than the
federals," said Mr.. Taylor. and it was
much more difficult to operate among
them. The confederate officers and
troops seemed 10 have n keener dis
cernment of approaching danger and
were able TO locate a scout quicker. IL
is very easy matter TO gain admit
lance TO the ranks Of foe, but the
difficulty comes in getting away. l
usually pretended TO be either DESERT
err who wanted to join the ranks or n
soldier Of some other division OF the
army who had been taken prisoner.
Before leaving headquarters | always
arranged for postoliice urder some
rock or crevice and never knew who
came after the letters. The greatest
danger lay in falling into the hands OF
some officer who knew me or in meet
ing confederate scout who had been
among our forces. There is now in
Kansas City man who was n con-
federate scout and who frequently saw
me during the war. Neither ne nor /
knew the business of the other. but
since the war we have become nc
quainted with each others former
duties. His name is Craddock and he is
also n carpenter belonging TO the car
penters' and joiners' union"