Henry Graham was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, around 1836. Little is known about his life before the war, except that he gave his occupation as a farmer. Graham enlisted and mustered into the Union army at the age of 27 as a private on October 1, 1863, in Wartrace, Tennessee. Graham's service records describe him as 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with black eyes, black hair, and a copper complexion. He served in Company G of the 13th USCT Infantry Regiment. During his service, Graham occasionally performed daily guard duty. On May 27, 1865, he died of smallpox in the hospital camp at Lorenzo Thomas, Tennessee.