Returning to New York, he turned to farming up until the outbreak of the Civil War.

In February 1862, Potter was commissioned captain in the commissary department and was attached to John G. Foster's brigade during Burnside's North Carolina Expedition.

[2] Potter was appointed lieutenant colonel on October 1, 1862 and was soon promoted to brigadier general of U.S.

[3] When John G. Foster took command of the XVIII Corps, Potter became his chief of staff.

Potter's time in Tennessee was brief as he returned to the Atlantic coast in command of the District of Hilton Head four months later.