About
Peter Austin was the son of William and Eleana Austin. In the 1850 census, Peter's family was residing in Ward 3, Schenectady, New York. By the 1860 census, Peter and his wife Margaret were residing in Princetown, New York. He was a farm laborer.
Peter was 23 years old when he enlisted in the Union Army on November 23, 1861, and was mustered in on December 6, 1861. He served with the 91st New York Infantry, Company H, and held the rank of Private. Peter was killed in action on May 25, 1863, before Port Hudson, Louisiana. He is buried in the First Reformed Dutch Churchyard, West Glenville, New York.
Sources: Ancestry
But we fight our country’s battles
And our hopes are not forlorn
Our death shall be a blessing
To “Millions yet unborn.”
To our children and their children
And as each grave is filled
We will but ask our Chief to say
“Only a private killed.”
~Hanford L. Gordon