The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-03-25
arHR FIGHTING SEVENTH"
John c. Taylor's "Reminiscences O
 General Hawley's Regiment.

General Hawleys Regiment.
 About themiddle of May, 1864. the Seventh Connecticut engaged with the enemy out beyond the front of our bat tery on the Bermuda Hundred line, near Petersburg. The regiment lost al considerable number in killed, wounded and prisoners, and were forced to retire. My tentmate in the battery was Ser geant Jimmy Mildoon of Danbury, asI brave and fine an Irish boy as ever lived. His brother, Private John AIil- doom, was a member of Company D of the Seventh Connecticut and when the regiment retired to the rear of our guns a young man made inquiry fer my chum Jimmy; he was referred to me for information and I told him that he was on detached duty that day and might not return to the battery before evening, and inquired what he want ed oe him. He replied that John Mil- doon had just been shot and killed, and as the regiment was being forced back, the body was left in the hands of
 
 their lines;I but, he said, T was near him when he was Killed and had bare ly time to take his watch, diary, some photographs of his family and his pocketbook, and I wish to turn them over to his brother here,'' told hirniI I would receive and turn them over to Jimmy as he came into the battery. He left the things with me, and when my chum came in told him how John fell, and turned over to him the articles which had been left with me. was unable to tell him the name of the young man who had brought the things in, as he was a stranger to me and all noticed was that he had the figure on his cap.
 This incident was not recalled to my mind until Battlefiag day in Hartford. in 1879, and only then by a peculiar coincidence. That day my wife said | to me that she had met friend of hers | from Danbury in the crowd and had ! invited herself and husband to go home with us that night and get rested for q day CT two after the exciting and in l spring events of that long-to-be-re- membered day. When got home that evening I found these friends there and was introduced to them Noticing the | e. A. R. badge on the gentlemen's coat l | asked him what regiment he had be- longed to and he replied: "The Seventh l Connecticut.
 What conpany?' l asked.
 \ "Company D, lie replied. told him that my chutil in the army had a brother in. that company who was ] killed out before Petersburg.
 What was his name?" he inquired.
 ''Mildoon,'' I said .Why, I stood next to Mildoon when he was killed, and managed to get some things out Of his pockets for his family, and I took them into g. battery l on the line and gave them to a chum Of his brother he said.
 You certainly did, replied, and
 was the very fellow you gave them to. 1 So 1t happened, alters a period of four l teen years from those stirring days
 lat the front we two boys got together again, and, 1t 'goes without saying,
 we had q fine reunion. We were as
 close friends in five minutes as if we l had grown up together from childhood.
 Such is conradeship welded in the fire I Of battle.'
 I His regiment. the Fighting Seventh ' l led by the brave and gallant Joe Flaw
 ley, was made up of heroes all, and we
 battery boys counted ourselves. as play f ing in fine luck if we were so fortunate
 as to have the Seventh Connecticut as
 a support" One "reminiscences of
 those boys recalls others, and have in mind another which might some day I write out if you care to give 1t grace,
 and I would call it How the Seventh l Connecticut Saved our Battery From I Going to Libby Prison or Anderson I ville.s But, as Mulyaney says that is
 another story JOHN c. TAYLOR, s
 Historian, First Conn. Heavy Artillery. l Hartford Times.