Indian Wars Medal of Honor Recipient. He was issued the award on June 27, 1891, for his actions as a sergeant with Company E, 7th US Cavalry, US Army, on December 29, 1890, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. He joined the US Army in January 1887 and was discharged in January 1892. Afterwards, he moved to Savannah, Georgia where he was engaged in the cotton business. He joined the Savannah Volunteer Guards in 1894 and rose in rank from private to captain of Company A, which unit he commanded in the Spanish-America War as part of the Second Georgia Regiment of Volunteers. He served as Chief of Police of Savannah and later owned and operated an automobile dealership. He retired and moved to California where he died at the age of 61. He was cremated but the exact location of his ashes remain a mystery. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "While the Indians were concealed in a ravine, assisted men on the skirmish line, directing their fire, etc., and using every effort to dislodge the enemy."
Indian Wars Medal of Honor Recipient. He was issued the award on June 27, 1891, for his actions as a sergeant with Company E, 7th US Cavalry, US Army, on December 29, 1890, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. He joined the US Army in January 1887 and was discharged in January 1892. Afterwards, he moved to Savannah, Georgia where he was engaged in the cotton business. He joined the Savannah Volunteer Guards in 1894 and rose in rank from private to captain of Company A, which unit he commanded in the Spanish-America War as part of the Second Georgia Regiment of Volunteers. He served as Chief of Police of Savannah and later owned and operated an automobile dealership. He retired and moved to California where he died at the age of 61. He was cremated but the exact location of his ashes remain a mystery. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "While the Indians were concealed in a ravine, assisted men on the skirmish line, directing their fire, etc., and using every effort to dislodge the enemy."
Bio by: William Bjornstad
Gravesite Details
In September 2023, the Medal of Honor Society Historical Society placed a memorial marker for Col. William G. Austin in the Laurel Grove North Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, in the same plot where Col. Austin's parents are buried.
Family Members
Advertisement
