Col. Peter A. Porter,
8th N.Y. Heavy Artillery

from The New York Times, June 5, 1864, p. 4:

               Obituary.
           COL. PETER A. PORTER.
  The death of Col. PETER A. PORTER, of the
Eighth New-York Volunteer Heavy Artillery, is an-
nounced in dispatches from the Army of the Po-
tomac. Col. PORTER was a resident of Niagara
County in this State, and we believe a lawyer by
profession, in the prime of life, talented and wealthy,
he goes to swell the long list of public men of this
State who have offered their lives to their
country, and have been sacrificed to the
demon of war. Col. PORTER came prominent-
ly before the public in the early part of
1862 as a Member of Assembly from his district. In
the Assembly Chamber he was distinguished for the
urbanity of his manners, by his power as a speaker
and readiness in debate. During the summer of
1862 he was instrumental in raising a regiment of
heavy artillery, since known as the Eighth, and re-
ceived from Gov. MORGAN a commission as its Colo-
nel. The regiment left for the seat of war
in the Fall of that year, and was for
a long time thereafter stationed at Baltimore.
In September, 1863, Col. PETER A. PORTER was
unanimously nominated by the Union State Conven-
tion as their candidate for the office of Secretary of
State. He was at that time at Baltimore, in com-
mand of his regiment, and being notified by letter of
his nomination, he promptly answered it, declining
the high honor conferred upon him. His letter of de-
clination to the Chairman of the Central Committee
must have rendered him forever beloved by his sol-
diers. He declined because he wished to serve
the country in the field, and for other and
equally honorable reasons. He had recruited his
regiment by holding out to the men the prospect that
he would be their commander; he had promised to
lead them, and he would neither deceive nor desert
them.
  Col. PORTER always desired more active service
than that of Garrison Commander, and at the outset
of the present campaign his regiment were organized
as infantry and sent into the field. They had lost
heavily during the campaign, but met their greatest
loss on Friday, when their gallant Colonel was taken
from them.