Felton, William G.

William G. Felton was born in Pennsylvania in 1843. As a child, his family moved to Ohio where he worked on the family farm and for a neighbor who was a tanner. In 1861 he enlisted in the 44th Ohio Infantry Regiment where he saw action at Lewisburg, West Virginia. In 1863, he became a lieutenant in the 4th Arkansas Colored Regiment, which eventually became part of the 57th United States Colored Infantry Regiment; after being mustered out of the 57th, Felton joined the 6th Arkansas Colored Regiment, which eventually became part of the 113th United States Colored Regiment. Felton then became a scout, was captured by the Confederates, mistaken for a spy and was sent to the Camp Ford Stockade Prison in Texas; he was released in May 1865. Felton then moved to Ohio, California, Nevada, and then to Wyoming where he ran a stagecoach line from Cheyenne to Custer, South Dakota. In the 1870s, Felton moved to Leadville, Colorado to farm and mine for gold.

From the description of Life and adventures of Captain William G. Felton, California Bill, 1886. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 81612152