Fry enlisted in the Marine Corps from Philadelphia in September 1862 and was assigned to the Union sloop-of-war USS Ticonderoga (1862).

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.

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.

59 (June 22, 1865) Action Date: January 15, 1865 Service: Marine Corps Rank: Orderly Sergeant Division: U.S.S.

Sometimes referred to as the "Gibraltar of the South" and the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy, Fort Fisher had tremendous strategic value during the war, providing a port for blockade runners supplying the Army of Northern Virginia.