Born in 1816 in Maryland, Barry was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1839, graduating 25th in a class of 31. Following his graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and posted to the U.S. 1st Infantry Regiment. After serving in the Second Seminole War, Barry was transferred in 1841 to serve at Ft. McHenry in Maryland, and then shortly after was posted as an assistant instructor of Infantry Tactics at West Point. Then followed several tours of duty at frontier posts: at Ft. Snelling, Minnesota (1842-1844), Ft. Crawford, Wisconsin (1844-1845), and Jefferson Barracks, Missouri (1845-1846).
Promoted to 1st lieutenant in 1844, Barry remained with the 1st Infantry when the US-Mexican War broke out. He participated with his regiment in the Battle of Monterrey in September of 1846, which saw the unit engaged in brutal house-to-house fighting during the storming of that city.
Barry subsequently resigned his commission in March of 1847 and moved to Milwaukee. There, he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and later served as superintendent of construction of the Milwaukee Custom House from 1857 to 1860. In addition, Barry served as a captain in the Wisconsin State Militia, serving as commander of the “Irish Union Guards.” While serving in this capacity Barry lost his life in a tragic incident known as “The Sinking of the Lady Elgin.” On September 8, 1860, the sidewheel steamboat Lady Elgin sank when it was struck by a lumber schooner. At least 300 lives were lost, in one of the greatest maritime disasters on the Great Lakes.
Barry is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Milwaukee.
Bibliography
Find a Grave, database and images
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19820727/garrett-barry. Accessed 3 April 2023, memorial page for Lieut. Garrett Barry (1816-8 Sep 1860),Find A Grave Memorial ID 19820727, citing Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Maintained by Sharon Zingery.
HMdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. “Sinking of the Lady Elgin.” https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=37263.
Accessed 3 April 2023.
Thayer, Bill. “Garrett Barry”. Transcribed from Class of 1839 Register of the officers and graduates of the U.S. military academy, compiled by George W. Cullum.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/Classes/1839.html. Accessed 4 April 2023.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/1010*.html. Accessed 4 April 2023.
Wisconsin Historical Society, “Historical Essay: Sinking of the ‘Lady Elgin’.”
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS13014 . Accessed 3 April 2023.
Image Details
Title: Garrett Barry
Date: 1860
Description: Photograph of Garrett Barry, Union Guards Commander, Courtesy of the Milwaukee County Historical Society
