DANIEL MULLIGAN aka WILLIAM BROWN -- 12th CAVALRYSTRANGE TALE OF WILLIAM BROWN aka DANIEL MULLIGAN -- The Muster RollAbstract says that Daniel Mulligan, a farmer who was born in Ireland,enlisted in the 12th Cavalry on December 19, 1862, at Rouses Point. Italso says he was captured on April 20, 1864, at Plymouth, NC, andconfined at Andersonville Prison, exchanged in May 1865 and mustered outon June 23, 1865,The facts are all true, except for one thing, the man who used the nameDaniel Mulligan was really William Brown from Fort Covington.When Kevin Mulligan came through Fort Covington in late 1862, he was onrecruiting business with no intention of going to war. He took his \$5 ahead bounty he got for the 14 men he recruited from the town and wentback across the nearby Canadian border telling them he would join themas soon as he completed some government business. The stage came and thenew recruits travelled to Staten Island to muster in in early 1863,however, William failed his physical because of a sore on his leg thatthe surgeon thought would break open under stress. Later, when the finalmuster roll call came, they were found to be one man short, so WilliamBrown went off to war as Daniel Mulligan who had already been cleared bythe surgeon.By June 29, 1863, they were in the first of their 22 battles of the yearin North Carolina. In 1864, after 12 more battles between January andthe third week of April, William was captured in action with 101 othermen on April 20th, at Plymouth, NC. They were taken by the Confederatesand ended up at Andersonville Prison. William wasn't exchanged until May1865 and was finally mustered out at New York City a month later. He wascited for personal bravery twice under the name Mulligan.Williamreturned to farming in Fort Covington with his parents, Daniel Brown andNancy Hogle, a broken and disease-riddled man. One of his thighs washopelessly crippled, rheumatism wracked him, and his body was beginningto cramp forward so that he walked bend half double, unable to standstraight ever again.When the census was taken in 1890, he openly used both names on theVeterans Schedules. He had to get a pension when he gave up farm workafter a few years and ended up getting a pension of \$50 a month underthe name Mulligan. However, a person who had a grudge against Williamwrote to the Pension Bureau saying that he had never enlisted, and thatMulligan was a deserter and so his troubles began. At least 10 letterswent back and forth but his pension was not resumed. People in FortCovington started a movement to have Congress pass a special act so hecould get a pension and have his name on his own war records before hedied. You can read the whole story in the Malone Farmer of May 27, 1914,at the top of the page.William died in Fort Covington on September 19, 1917, leaving his wife,5 daughters and a son. He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery there. Hisloss of pension was mentioned in his obituary.
