Born in Tennessee, John Fry Hill was a merchant and tailor in Clarksville, Tennessee. Hill served as a lieutenant of volunteers in the Mexican-American War. Hill relocated to Arkansas in the 1850s and was elected sheriff of Johnson County, Arkansas. At the start of the Civil War, Hill joined the state militia in 1861 as a captain stationed at Fort Smith. In November 1861, the 16th Arkansas Infantry (CSA) was organized in northwestern Arkansas with Hill as its colonel. Following this regiment’s reorganization, Hill began recruiting a cavalry regiment and organized the 7th Arkansas Cavalry in 1863. On July 25, 1863, there were enough recruits to organize 7th Arkansas Cavalry with Hill as colonel. In 1864 during Price’s Missouri Raid, Hill was wounded severely in the arm during the Battle of Pilot Knob and then again during the Battle of Westport. After the war, Hill returned to Clarksville, Arkansas and resumed his merchant business.
Harrell, “Arkansas.” In Confederate Military History, Vol. X, 314-316.
Daniel, “John Fry Hill.” Find A Grave, October 7, 2008. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30390326/john-fry-hill.
Wikipedia. “7th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment,” September 20, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Arkansas_Cavalry_Regiment.