The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-31

their ground. sending voi!ey after vol
ley through The charging line of cav
airy 4 dozen men in blue dropped to
the ground. and II seemed for mo
menI all must perish under the uner.
rtEE aim.
Captain Taylor was seen to fab from
bis hnr>e. pierced by musket ball
through the ietr a.Sida below but near
the >huuiuer. IN aD Instant the firing
censed On tile parl OF the red shirts.
AMI II IRISH WAS made to the spot where
Captain Taylor Gad fallen A dozen
men dlSmounteu aud the wounded man
was picked up ana placed in the sad
die III front az one OF the strongest
men on IA powerful Steed. that cantered
away with the two men on his back
as If accustomed to the weight
The Union soldiers. after caring for
their dead and wounded. hurriedly
gathered up and saddled their own
horses and started south along tho
county road In pursuit of the bush
whackers, who seemed satisfied with
the mornings work and retreated in
the direction whence they had come.
With an hours start Captain Taylor
had no difficulty in Guiding his pursu-
ers. He found in calling the roll at the
noon hour in the walnut grove near
Taos that two of his boys were gone,
killed in the first charge at ArnoIdS-
vile. and number were slightly
wounded. say his boys" because
there were not more than half dozen
twenty-one.
Among the number wounded under
Captain Taylor was a young man of
good family whose boyhood days had
been spent In our neighborhood and a
part Of the time at our district school.
He was only eighteen years of age, but
young man of great physical devel-
opment, strength and beauty. His
name was Billie Feland 1t was he
who rode behind the wounded captain,
giving no heed to a shot which had
plowed its way through the flesh Of
his own right leg in the thigh just
above the knee.
After helping to dress the wound of
his captain in SUCH manner as to en-
able that individual to ride alone, he
asked to be allowed to remain in the
grove under natural shelter Of BUSH
es near the creek half mile distance
from the main Travelled road. stating
he would be able after dark to reach
his fathers house. only two miles
away. Within an hour after his friends
left him Feland'S wounds began to
bleed afresh and in another hour he
was so weak from loss Of blood that he
feared the end would soon come. He
crawled near the public road and at
tracted the attention of lady on
horseback, who proved to be the wife
of the officer In charge of the Union
troops at ArnOldsville. She had spent
the night at Taos and had not learned
of the SkirmiSh at her home town. She
declined to summon help unless Feland
told her how and where he was wound
ed 1t seemed only question OF man.
ner Of death with him, so he gave q
true account of the mornings engage
ment. She hurried off, not to the home
of young Feland. as be had requested.
but to her own home, where she told
her husband Of what she had seen.
A squad was sent to capture and
bring back the young rebel to the
scene of the morning engagement and
to his certain death. By night they
returned with young Feland lying In
the army wagon with no bedding or
even straw to protect him from the
iolting motion of the vehicle.
At sunrise the next morning the
wounded rebel was propped up on a