· Joined
Independent Company D of the 1863 Militia from
July 18th to August 8th
· Mustered in at Harrisburg,
Pa. on February 29, 1864 as a Private in Co. H,
22nd PA Cavalry, at the age of
18
· Fought during Sheridan’s
Shenandoah Campaign, Battles of Opequan
(Winchester), Fisher’s Hill, Cedar Creek, &
numerous skirmishes
· Was honorably discharged
on October 31, 1865 at Cumberland, Md.
· Born on
December 20, 1845 in East Providence Twp, Bedford
County
· Son of veteran Alexander
Messersmith
· Occupation: Farmer
· His wife Jemima Hanks was
Abraham Lincoln’s first cousin
· Died December 20, 1929
· Buried in Shreves Chapel
Cemetery, Monroe Township, Bedford County,
PA
