John D. Barry

Biography

John D. Barry, born in 1839, was a young North Carolina attorney who joined the Confederate army and rose through the ranks because of his calm leadership and devotion to his men. He commanded North Carolina troops in several hard-fought campaigns in the Eastern Theater, earning the respect of comrades for his steady courage.

After the war he returned home with hopes of resuming civilian life but died in 1867, and his friends laid him to rest at Oakdale Cemetery, where his sacrifice and the intensity of those years remain part of the town's history.