Crawford County PA Archives Obituaries.....POTTER, Orson May 8, 1892 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Diana Watson rwat@alltel.net January 15, 2006, 11:29 am Evening Republican May 13, 1892 The Life, Public Services and Death of Col. O. O. Potter Col. Orson Osborne Potter, fourth son of Orson Forbes and Lydia G. Potter, died at the residence of his brother-in-law, W. G. Tritt, in Vernon township, Crawford county, Pa., May 8, 1892. Col. Potter was born at his father's farm, Potter's Corners, Crawford county, Pa., Nov 27, 1827. He attended school winters and worked on the farm summers; received an academic education and studied law; was graduated at the State and National law school of New York at Poughkeepsie; entered the practice of law at Elmira, N. Y. , and removed from there to the city of New York, where he remained in the practice until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when with others he raised the 31st Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel afterward Brigadier General Calvin E. Pratt. He served with the regiment in the Army of the Potomac during its term of service, and was then appointed by President Lincoln captain and assistant quartermaster, and was ordered to the department of the Gulf, where he took part in the siege of Port Hudson and in the active campaigns in the state of Louisiana, on the staff of Maj. Gen. Weltzel, closing his service in that state by participation of Gen. Bank's Red river expedition as chief quartermaster on the staff of Gen. Emory. On the return of the corps from that campaign it went into camp at Morganzia on the Mississippi river, and was soon after ordered to Washington, where it took part in the defense of that city from the raid of Gen. Zuba. Early, in all of which operations he took part as chief quartermaster in the 19th army corps, and continued to do so through Gen. Sheridan's campaign in the Valley of the Shenandoah. In the following spring, 1865 the 19th army corps was broken up, the near close of the war being apparent, and the various divisions were sent to the South for duty in the Freedmen's bureau. Capt Potter was then ordered to Washington for duty in quartermaster's department in that city. Soon after the 25th corps under the command of Maj. Gen. Weltzel, was ordered to the department of the Rio Grande. Upson the solicitation of the major general commanding, Capt Potter was promoted to major and assistant quartermaster, and ordered to report to Gen. Weltzel for duty, which he did at Brazos de Santiago, July 4, 1865 and was soon after ordered by Maj. Gen. Steel to report to him as his chief quartermaster, in which capacity he remained under various successive commanders and received the commission of brevet lieutenant colonel and assistant quartermaster, which position he retained until he closed his term of service by sending in his resignation and was muster out of the military service of the United States Feb. 6, 1866. He then entered into negotiations with President Juarez, of the Mexican Republic to furnish arms and ammunition for his army then operating against the Emperor Maximilian. He was thus the means of largely strengthening the army of Juarez, whose campaigns at last ended in the tragic death of Maximillan and the freedom of the Mexican Republic. After having traveled extensively through Mexico, he returned to the United States and retired to the old homestead farm, where he lived some years. In 1870 he married Adella, daughter of the late Wm. Denny, Esq., who survives him. In 1876 he was elected to the Pennsylvania legislature and served two sessions. In 1882 he removed to Wellington, Kansas, from whence he returned to the place of his decease April 4, 1892. For years he has taken a deep interest in the cause of religion, united in 1864, with the Protestant Episcopal church at Brownsville, Texas, remaining a member of that church till making his home in Wellington, where he united with the Presbyterian church of that place. His remains were interred in the Denny cemetery May 9, 1892. "Life's conflict o'er, may we, like him, be blest--In life be faithful, and in death find rest." This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 4.5 Kb