Speed S. Fry
Encyclopedia
Speed Smith Fry was a lawyer, judge, and a United States Army
officer during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War
.
(now Boyle County
) near Danville
. He graduated from Wabash College
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
, in 1840 and returned to Danville to practice law under his uncle. He served as a captain in the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Regiment during the Mexican-American War and saw action at the Battle of Buena Vista
, where his company fired the last shots of the battle. After the war he returned home and was appointed a judge of Mercer County and served in that position until the Civil War.
, Fry was immediately made a colonel
of Kentucky Militia. He helped raise the 4th Kentucky Infantry at Camp Dick Robinson
and on October 9, 1861 he was appointed colonel of the regiment.
on January 19, 1862. During the battle the fighting became disorganized and Confederate
General Felix Zollicoffer
rode up to Fry's regiment thinking they were Confederate troops, and addressing Colonel Fry, he ordered them to stop firing. Zollicoffer's aide came riding from the woods and, attempting to warn the general that he was in the midst of enemy soldiers, fired off a shot. Fry immediately raised his pistol and fired at Zollicoffer, who fell dead. But a debate exists over who actually killed the general. Fry never specifically claimed he was the one who killed Zollicoffer, but many reports and paintings at the time give full credit to him. However, there were members from three different Union
regiments standing near Fry who also fired. Whether or not he was the sole person to shoot General Zollicoffer, the Confederates were so outraged that they accused Fry of murder.
of volunteers and commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, in the Army of the Ohio
under Don Carlos Buell
. His brigade arrived at the Battle of Shiloh
at the end of the second day, too late to participate in the fighting. Buell reported that Fry's performance was "inefficient". His brigade did participate in the siege of Corinth
. Returning to Kentucky, he led his brigade into action at the Battle of Perryville
just a few miles away from where he was born. Once the Confederate forces had withdrawn from Kentucky, Fry took command of the 3rd Division, Center Wing, of the XIV Corps
(Army of the Cumberland
), which he led in the Stones River Campaign; he and most of his division were not engaged in the Battle of Stones River
. For much of the remainder of the war, he commanded the North Central Kentucky sub-district. At the close of the war, he was in command of Camp Nelson, the vast Union recruiting and deployment depot south of Lexington. He was mustered out of the service on August 24, 1865, without being awarded the brevet
rank of major general
, which was usually bestowed automatically in the case of a brigadier general with Fry's time in grade.
He died near Louisville, Kentucky
, and is buried in the Bellevue Cemetery, Danville, Kentucky
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Fry was born in Mercer County, KentuckyMercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...
(now Boyle County
Boyle County, Kentucky
Boyle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Danville. In 2000, its population was 28,432. It was formed in 1842 and named for John Boyle , a U.S...
) near Danville
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
. He graduated from Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, in 1840 and returned to Danville to practice law under his uncle. He served as a captain in the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Regiment during the Mexican-American War and saw action at the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
, where his company fired the last shots of the battle. After the war he returned home and was appointed a judge of Mercer County and served in that position until the Civil War.
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Fry was immediately made a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of Kentucky Militia. He helped raise the 4th Kentucky Infantry at Camp Dick Robinson
Camp Dick Robinson
Camp Dick Robinson was a large Union Army organizational and training center located near Lancaster in rural Garrard County, Kentucky, during the American Civil War...
and on October 9, 1861 he was appointed colonel of the regiment.
Mill Springs and Zollicoffer's death
Fry led his regiment into action at the Battle of Mill SpringsBattle of Mill Springs
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union terminology, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 19, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It...
on January 19, 1862. During the battle the fighting became disorganized and Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
General Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer was a newspaperman, three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
rode up to Fry's regiment thinking they were Confederate troops, and addressing Colonel Fry, he ordered them to stop firing. Zollicoffer's aide came riding from the woods and, attempting to warn the general that he was in the midst of enemy soldiers, fired off a shot. Fry immediately raised his pistol and fired at Zollicoffer, who fell dead. But a debate exists over who actually killed the general. Fry never specifically claimed he was the one who killed Zollicoffer, but many reports and paintings at the time give full credit to him. However, there were members from three different Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
regiments standing near Fry who also fired. Whether or not he was the sole person to shoot General Zollicoffer, the Confederates were so outraged that they accused Fry of murder.
Promotion to general
On March 21, 1862, Fry was appointed brigadier generalBrigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers and commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, in the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
under Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
. His brigade arrived at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
at the end of the second day, too late to participate in the fighting. Buell reported that Fry's performance was "inefficient". His brigade did participate in the siege of Corinth
Siege of Corinth
The Siege of Corinth was an American Civil War battle fought from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi.-Background:...
. Returning to Kentucky, he led his brigade into action at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
just a few miles away from where he was born. Once the Confederate forces had withdrawn from Kentucky, Fry took command of the 3rd Division, Center Wing, of the XIV Corps
XIV Corps (ACW)
XIV Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was one of the earliest corps formations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Creation:...
(Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
), which he led in the Stones River Campaign; he and most of his division were not engaged in the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
. For much of the remainder of the war, he commanded the North Central Kentucky sub-district. At the close of the war, he was in command of Camp Nelson, the vast Union recruiting and deployment depot south of Lexington. He was mustered out of the service on August 24, 1865, without being awarded the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
rank of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
, which was usually bestowed automatically in the case of a brigadier general with Fry's time in grade.
Post Civil War
In 1866, Fry was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress. He was the supervisor for Internal Revenue collection in his congressional district. He was the superintendent of the Soldier's Home and was also an elder of the Presbyterian Church.He died near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and is buried in the Bellevue Cemetery, Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals