- Birkett D. Fry
Infobox Military Person
name= Birkett Davenport Fry
born= birth date|1822|6|24
died= death date and age|1891|1|21|1822|6|24
placeofburial=
caption=
nickname=
placeofbirth=Kanawha County, West Virginia
placeofdeath=Richmond, Virginia
allegiance= United States of AmericaConfederate States of America
branch=Confederate Army
serviceyears= 1861–65
rank=Brigadier general
unit=
commands=
battles=American Civil War -Peninsula Campaign -Battle of Seven Pines -Battle of Antietam -Battle of Chancellorsville -Battle of Gettysburg -Siege of Petersburg -Battle of Meadow Bridge
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Birkett Davenport Fry (June 24, 1822 – January 21, 1891) was an adventurer, soldier, lawyer, cotton manufacturer, and a Confederate general in the
American Civil War . A survivor of four battle wounds, he commanded one of the leadbrigade s duringPickett's Charge at theBattle of Gettysburg .Early life
Fry was born in Kanawha County, Virginia (now
West Virginia ). He received his education atVirginia Military Institute in Lexington, and attended theUnited States Military Academy , but did not graduate with the Class of 1846, having failed mathematics and being subsequently dismissed. He then returned to his native Virginia to study law. He resumed his interest in the military with the outbreak of theMexican-American War , serving as a first lieutenant of voltigeurs.Following the war, as with so many other adventurers, Fry moved to
California as a "Forty-Niner." In October 1856, he accompanied the filibusterer, William Walker, during his expedition toNicaragua as a colonel (and later general) in Walker'smercenary army. Fry returned to California, living there until 1859 when he moved toAlabama and engaged in cotton manufacturing. [Warner, page 95.] Fry had married Martha MiCou, whose family were among the owners of the cotton mills inTallassee, Alabama . [Goldem, page 27.]Civil War
With Alabama's
secession from the Union, Fry enlisted in the Confederate army and was appointed Colonel of the 13th Alabama Infantry. Theregiment was transported toVirginia and fought in thePeninsula Campaign . Colonel Fry was wounded in action at theBattle of Seven Pines . He recovered in time to command his regiment in the savage fighting at Antietam, where he was again wounded, suffering a shattered arm.Fry rejoined his regiment and led it during the 1863
Battle of Chancellorsville , where he suffered a third wound. During the subsequentGettysburg Campaign , Fry's regiment was among the first Confederate units to deploy into battleline and engage the Unioncavalry ofJohn Buford at the opening of theBattle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. His men suffered considerable casualties as the day progressed after being driven off McPherson's Ridge by the arrival of the FederalIron Brigade . With the capture of Brig. Gen.James J. Archer , Fry assumed command of Archer's Brigade of Tennesseans and Alabamans. Held in reserve on July 2, Fry's brigade was a key part of the July 3 attack that became famous asPickett's Charge . He suffered yet another wound, and fell near the Union lines. Held as aprisoner of war atFort McHenry in Baltimore, Fry was treated in a localfield hospital .There, rumors circulated that Fry had been involved in the August 1862 murder of Union general
Robert L. McCook in Alabama. Fry's West Point classmate,John Gibbon , who ironically commanded the troops that had shot Fry at Gettysburg, vouched for his character and the matter was forgotten. [Hess, page 367.]Exchanged in 1864, Fry rejoined the
Army of Northern Virginia in time for the beginning of theSiege of Petersburg . DuringPhilip H. Sheridan 's raid on Richmond in early May, Fry was assigned command ofSeth Barton 's Virginia brigade, leading it during theBattle of Meadow Bridge . He was promoted to brigadier general on May 24, 1864.During the final months of the war, Fry was placed in command of a military district in
South Carolina and Georgia.Postbellum
After surrendering in Augusta, Fry emigrated to
Cuba at the close of hostilities, lodging inHavana hotels with several other former prominent Confederates, includingJubal A. Early ,John C. Breckinridge ,Robert A. Toombs , andJohn B. Magruder , among others. [Pérez, page 19.] He did not return to the United States until 1868, when he returned toTallassee, Alabama as a businessman. He resided at No. 1, King Street, in a house built for Confederate Officers in charge of the Tallassee Armory. [Golden, page 27.] His home is still standing and after renovations now serves as the law offices of [http://www.segrestlaw.com The Segrest Law Firm] . Fry later expanded his business career in Florida, and, in 1881, moved toRichmond, Virginia , where he was president of a cotton mill for a decade.Fry died in Richmond and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in
Montgomery, Alabama .ee also
References
* Hess, Earl J., "Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg", Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8078-2648-0.
* Pérez, Louis A., Jr., "Cuba and the United States: Ties of Singular Intimacy", Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2003. ISBN 0-8203-2483-3.
* Warner, Ezra J., "Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders", Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 0-8071-0823-5.
* Golden, Virginia Noble, "A History of Tallassee", Tallassee Mills of Mount Vernon-Woodberry Mills, 1949, LC Control No.: 50034427.Notes
Persondata
NAME= Fry, Birkett D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Confederate Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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