Fred Thaddeus Austin (December 28, 1866 – February 26, 1938) was an American military officer who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

as the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

's Chief of Field Artillery.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. p. 20

Early life

Austin was born in

Hancock, Vermont Hancock is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for John Hancock. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. Hancock is home to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl and contains Middlebury Gap through the Green Mountai ...

, the son of Julius Tilden Austin and Manora (Keith) Austin. He graduated from high school in

Rochester, Vermont Rochester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,099 at the 2020 census. The central village is delineated as the Rochester census-designated place. Set on the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, th ...

, and then attended Norwich University. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1888, and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

in 1894. In 1896, Austin received his qualification as a civil engineer.Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 16

Early career

Austin served in the 1st Regiment of the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green ...

from 1888 to 1894; a musician, he advanced from private to sergeant to drum major before moving to

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. Austin practiced architecture in Brockton and Boston, Massachusetts, from 1889 to 1898. From 1894 to 1898 he served in the 5th Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard, first as a drum major, and later as the regimental sergeant major.

Spanish–American War

He volunteered to serve in the

for the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. When the 5th Massachusetts was activated for federal service, Austin was commissioned as a first lieutenant and appointed as regimental adjutant. He joined the regular Army after the war; appointed a first lieutenant in the 46th United States Volunteer Infantry on August 17, 1899, he transferred to the Artillery Corps on August 22, 1901. He served in the Artillery Corps for the rest of his career.

Continued career

Austin served primarily in the 3rd Field Artillery, and commanded Battery C from 1909 to 1910, and Battery E from 1910 to 1911.

World War I

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During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Austin commanded the 346th Field Artillery Regiment, 350th Field Artillery Regiment, 156th Field Artillery Brigade, 167th Field Artillery Brigade, and the Field Artillery Replacement Depot at Camp Zachary Taylor,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. On April 18, 1918, he was promoted to temporary

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, and he received the Army Distinguished Service Medal to recognize his superior wartime service. The citation for the medal reads: After World War I, Austin became the director of the

Field Artillery School The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develop ...

at Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, after which he served in the Inspector General's Department. Austin became a

in 1927, and succeeded

William J. Snow William J. Snow (December 16, 1868 – February 27, 1947) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and served as the Chief of Field Artillery for seven years in the 1920s. A native of Brooklyn, New Y ...

as Chief of Field Artillery. He served as Chief from December 20, 1927, to February 15, 1930.

Death and burial

Austin died in

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, on February 26, 1938, and was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Family

In 1909, Austin married Lenore Harrison of

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. They were the parents of a son, Gordon Harrison Austin (1913–2010), a career officer in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

who was a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and attained the rank of major general.

References

Sources

* * Davis, Henry Blaine. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. * Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Fred 1866 births 1938 deaths People from Hancock, Vermont Norwich University alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War I Military personnel from Vermont