American soldier, born at Hartford, CT, on the 10th of November 1827. He studied law at Yale College, was admitted to the bar in 1849, and practiced for a number of years. From 1854 to 1860 he was clerk of the superior and supreme courts of Connecticut. He was appointed, in 1854, colonel of the Second Connecticut Militia Regiment. While abroad in 1858, he carefully studied the defenses in the Crimea, and the most important European fortifications. On the outbreak of the Civil War his regiment was mustered into the United States service, at the first call for troops, as the Second Connecticut Volunteers. Colonel Terry remained at its head until April 1862, when he was made a brigadier-general of volunteers and took a prominent part in the capture of Fort Wagner. General Terry was appointed commander of the northern district of the Department of the South, including the islands from which the operations against Charleston had been carried on. His military career was one of great brilliancy and efficiency, but, though in numerous severe engagements, his most notable feat was, in all probability, the capture of Fort Fisher, which was accomlished in conjunction with Admiral Porter’s naval forces. Fort Fisher commanded the sea-approaches to Wilmington, NC, and after the failure of a first attempt to capture it, General Terry was ordered by Grant to renew the attack, which he did with a force of about eight thousand men. After landing his troops, he threw up intrenchments about two miles north of the fort. Admiral Porter then opened fire, and from 4:30 to 6 P.M. there were fired four shots per second, or twenty thousand in all. This, it is claimed, was the heaviest bombardment of the war. This was on January 13, 1865. On the 14th, the line of intrenchments was all completed, and General Charles J. Paine was placed in command, with a division of infantry. General Terry had meanwhile made a reconnaisance of the fort, and as it was readily seen that supplies for his troops could only be landed with difficulty, and that an open beach in midwinter was a poor place in which to establish a siege, he determined to carry the point by assault, and made arrangements to this effect with Porter as to the plan of attack. At 11 A.M., on the 15th, Admiral Porter opened fire with every gun in his fleet, and the fort was completely silenced. Regiments were then pushed forward to within two hundred yards of the fort, taking shelter in shallow trenches. Porter landed some two thousand sailors and marines, who took up a position two hundred yards from the eastern extremity of the northern face of the fort. At 3:30 P.M., at a signal from General Terry, the fleet ceased firing and the troops rushed forward and gained a foothold upon the parapet. Then began a hot hand-to-hand fight, the opposing parties firing directly in each others’ faces. The fort was more difficult to take, by reason of the traverses, each one of which was stubbornly held by the enemy. By ten o’clock the occupation of the works was complete. The garrison was originally 2,500 men, and 1,971 of them, with 112 officers, were made prisoners, the others being killed or wounded. The Union loss was 681 men, of whom only 88 were killed. General Grant, in speaking of this capture, said: “Thus was secured, by the combined efforts of the army and navy, one of the most important successes of the war.” General Terry was promoted to be a brigadier-general in the regular army, and a major-general of volunteers, and Congress passed him a vote of thanks. He was brevetted major-general in the regular army on March 13, 1865. He commanded the Departments of Dakota and the South; and in 1876 led the expedition against the Sioux, driving them and their leader, Sitting Bull, into Canada. He was made a full major-general, March 3, 1886, succeeding General Hancock, and in 1888 voluntarily retired from the army. He died at New Haven, CT, on the 16th of December 1890.
