Peter was born in May of 1873 in San Francisco, California and he enlisted in the US Army. He was a Private with the 4th Cavalry Regiment when he was deployed to the Philippines and was with Young’s Scouts when he displayed actions that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

With 11 other scouts without waiting for the supporting battalion to aid them or to get into a position to do so, charged over a distance of about 150 yards and completely routed about 300 of the enemy who were in line and in a position that could only be carried by a frontal attack.

Peter received the Medal of Honor on the 14th of June, 1906 and he had reached the rank of Trumpeter. Peter H Quinn died on the 19th of April, 1934 at the age of 60 and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 6, Grave 9749-SH, Grid V/W 31.