Isaac N. Fry

Isaac N. Fry (1839 – 1900) was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.

Military service
Fry volunteered for service in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1862 and was assigned to the Union sloop-of-war USS Ticonderoga (1862). His enlistment is credited to the state of Pennsylvania.

On January 15, 1865, the North Carolina Confederate stronghold of Fort Fisher was taken by a combined Union storming party of sailors, marines, and soldiers under the command of Admiral David Dixon Porter and General Alfred Terry. Sgt. Fry was a member of the storming party.

Medal of Honor citation
“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Orderly Sergeant Isaac N. Fry, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in action on board the U.S.S. TICONDEROGA during attacks on Fort Fisher, 13 to 15 January 1865. As orderly sergeant of Marine guard, and captain of a gun, Orderly Sergeant Fry performed his duties with skill and courage as the TICONDEROGA maintained a well-placed fire upon the batteries to the left of the palisades during the initial phases of the three-day battle, and thereafter, as she considerably lessened the firing power of guns on the mount which had been turned upon our assaulting columns. During this action the flag was planted on one of the strongest fortifications possessed by the rebels.”

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 59 (June 22, 1865)

Action Date: January 15, 1865

Service: Marine Corps

Rank: Orderly Sergeant

Division: U.S.S. Ticonderoga