Midshipmen as messengers and combat leaders

Were midshipmen placed in charge of sailors during the age of sail?

Usually they relayed orders, but they could lead boarding parties or assume an officer's role in combat and earn promotion.

A ship might have only one master gunner, while lieutenants supervised sections of the engaged gun decks. Midshipmen therefore often served as repeaters carrying orders between the officers and gun crews, and only occasionally acted as gun captains themselves. Boarding actions created a different command problem: when a lieutenant fell, a teenage midshipman might draw his sword and lead the sailors forward. Conspicuous success could bring an acting promotion followed by the formal lieutenant's examination.