William G. Austin

William Grafton (Grafton) Austin (January 6, 1868 – July 15, 1929) was an American officer in the U.S. Army who served with the 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. Austin received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry at the Battle of Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890.

Biography
William Graston (Grafton) Austin was born in Galveston, Texas on January 6, 1868. He later moved to New York City where he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He spent a five-year enlistment in E Troop, 7th U.S. Cavalry, being discharged as a Sergeant. He was cited for bravery at the Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890. On June 17, 1891, he officially received the Medal of Honor for actions “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".

After his discharge from the military, Austin returned Savannah, Georgia where he was engaged in the Cotton business and later served for six years as Chief of Police. 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 American War as part of the Second Georgia Regiment of Volunteers.

In 1919 Austin is listed as a Colonel in the Officers' Reserve Corps in the Quartermaster section in the State of California. He later retired to Palo Alto, California where he died on July 15, 1929. His body was cremated at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, and the ashes delivered to the Roller and Hapgood mortuary, but its final whereabouts is not known.

Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company E, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Wounded Knee Creek, S. Dak., 29 December 1890. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Galveston, Tex. Date of issue: 27 June 1891.

Citation:

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.