It may be well to state here that his friend who received the appointment was assigned to Battery E, in the very position which Sergeant Messinger had anticipated might be allotted to himself. In the very first battle in which this officer took part after he had joined his battery he was killed, so that Sergeant Messinger has good reason to congratulate himself that he did not receive the coveted commission at that time.
And now we are able to inform our readers what became of those papers. It seems there was a soldier well known in the battery (now deceased) whose name we do not desire to make public, who cherished an enmity against Sergeant Messinger because he had appointed him a corporal at Camp Mauran against his wishes. He only held the position a short time, then returned to the ranks, and was appointed mail carrier for the battery. He was present in the officers’ quarters to take the mail the morning the captain sent the papers to Rhode Island, and heard the captain express the desire that the papers might soon bring Sergeant Messinger his commission.
The mail carrier afterward said to Sergeant Messinger that he determined at that time that he (Messinger) should not have the commission if he could prevent it. He took the papers from the mail bag and destroyed them. No wonder they could not be found in the governor’s office, and that Sergeant Messinger did not receive appointment to the position which he was so well qualified to adorn.
After Captain Allen took command of the battery, Sergeant Messinger was appointed company clerk, and served in that capacity until the muster out of the battery. He settled all the affairs of the battery for Captain Allen in a manner creditable to himself and to all concerned. Even to this day there is no member of the battery who is more highly esteemed and respected than he, and no one who takes a livelier interest in the welfare of his comrades. He has had the opportunity and privilege of visiting many of the members who are scattered over the country, and they always find him ready to extend a hearty welcome to all; and no deserving comrade ever found him turning a deaf ear to his plea for help in time of need.
He is at present engaged in the manufacture of pottery at East Brookfield, Mass. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic in his town, and is an honored citizen of the community in which he lives. He is one of the committee on the publication of the History of Battery H.
HEZEKIAH POTTER.
Lieut. Hezekiah Potter, son of Christy and Lucius (Smith) Potter, was born in Pawtucket, R. I., on the 1st day of July, 1834. His parents subsequently removed to Providence, R. I., where he received his education in the public schools of that city.
Previous to the War for the Union he was engaged in the wholesale grocery business, first with his brother in the city of Syracuse, N. Y., and afterwards managed the same business for A. & W. Sprague with marked success for about five years. He was subsequently connected with William Sheldon in the same capacity.
In August, 1862, he was enrolled as private in Battery H, First Rhode Island Light Artillery. He was afterwards promoted to the rank of quartermaster-sergeant in this battery March 28, 1864. On the 21st of October, 1864, he received a commission as second lieutenant, and was assigned to Battery E. He was mustered into the battery on the same day of his arrival, Nov. 11, 1864. Although a man of few words he won the respect and esteem of all the members of the battery. He was cool and self-possessed under fire, and was always found reliable in every position he was placed. He participated with the battery in the almost daily conflicts with the enemy in the intrenchments before Petersburg, and was present at the final and successful assaults on the enemy’s lines, April 2, 1865. He was mustered out of service June 4, 1865.
