James Barnet Fry was born on February 22, 1827, in Carrollton, Illinois, to Jacob and Emily Turney. His father earned a living as a merchant. He enrolled at the United States Military Academy in 1843, and he graduated four years later.

 

In 1847, he received a commission as a 2^nd lieutenant in the 1^st United States Artillery. He served under General Winfield Scott in the Mexican American War. He spent the late 1840s in present-day Washington and Oregon, and he was promoted to 1^st lieutenant in 1851. In December 1853, he became an assistant instructor of artillery at West Point. He remained there until 1859. He helped suppress John Brown’s raid in October 1859, and by early 1861, he was commanding an artillery battery in Washington, D.C.

 

From 1861 until 1862, he served as chief of staff to General Irwin McDowell and then to General Don Carlos Buell. He took part in the Battle of Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, and the Battle of Perryville. He received a series of promotions: to captain in August 1861, to major in April 1862, and to lieutenant colonel in December 1862. In March 1863, he was promoted to colonel and appointed provost marshal general of the United States Army. He oversaw the Invalid Corps and tracked down deserters. He was promoted to brigadier general in April 1864, and he remained provost marshal general until August 27, 1866.

 

He remained in the army after the war, and he served on the West Coast from 1866 until 1869. He served across the South from 1869 until 1873, and he was promoted to colonel in the Regular Army in 1875. He retired on June 1, 1881. He settled in Newport, Rhode Island, and he spent the ensuing years writing military histories. He died in Newport on July 11, 1894.

 

Image: James Barnet Fry (courtesy Wikicommons)

SOURCES