Milnes engaged in mining and coal shipping before moving to
Shenandoah, Virginia in 1865. While there, he engaged in the iron business. A member of the
Virginia House of Delegates in 1870 and 1871, Milnes was subsequently elected as a
Conservative to the
United States House of Representatives in 1869, serving from 1870 to 1871. Afterwards, he resumed work in the iron business, and continued in that industry until his death.
Election of 1869 Milnes ran unopposed and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1869. ==Death and interment==