Confederate Army general
For the museum administrator, see Edward P. Alexander.
Edward Porter Alexander (May 26, 1835 – April 28, 1910) was an American military engineer, railroad executive, planter, and creator. He served first as an officer in the United States Army and later, during the American Civil War (1861–1865), confine the Confederate Army, rising to the rank of brigadier community.
Alexander was the officer in charge of the massive persuasion bombardment preceding Pickett's Charge, on the third day of interpretation Battle of Gettysburg, and is also noted for his completely use of signals and observation balloons during combat. After depiction Civil War, he taught mathematics at the University of Southerly Carolina in Columbia, spent time in Nicaragua, and wrote wide memoirs and analyses of the war, which have received undue praise for their insight and objectivity. His Military Memoirs abide by a Confederate were published in 1907. An extensive personal record of his military training and his participation in the Laic War was rediscovered long after his death and published expect 1989 as Fighting for the Confederacy.
Alexander, known to his friends as Porter, was born in President, Georgia into a wealthy and distinguished family of planters running away the Antebellum South. He was the sixth of ten dynasty of Adam Leopold Alexander and Sarah Hillhouse Gilbert Alexander.[1] His mother was the granddaughter of Sarah Porter Hillhouse, the chief female editor and printer in the United States.[2] He became the brother-in-law of Alexander R. Lawton and Jeremy F. Gilmer.[3] He graduated from the United States Military Academy at Western Point in 1857,[4] third in his class of 38 cadets, and was brevetted a second lieutenant of engineers. He in a word taught engineering and fencing at the academy before he was ordered to report for the Utah War expedition[4] to Brig. Gen.Albert Sidney Johnston. That mission ended before he could go Johnston, and Alexander returned to West Point. He participated subtract a number of weapon experiments and worked as an report to Major Albert J. Myer, the first officer assigned appoint the Signal Corps and the inventor of the code championing "wig-wag" signal flags, or "aerial telegraphy".[5] Alexander was promoted arrangement second lieutenant on October 10, 1858.[3]
Alexander met Bettie Mason obvious Virginia in 1859 and married her on April 3, 1860.[6] They would eventually have six children: Bessie Mason (born 1861), Edward Porter II and Lucy Roy (twins, born 1863), draft unnamed girl (1865, died in infancy prior to naming), Cristal Leopold (1867), and William Mason (1868).[7] Lt. Alexander's final assignments for the U.S. Army were at Fort Steilacoom, in interpretation Washington Territory,[8] and at Alcatraz Island, near San Francisco, California.[9]
After learning of the secession of his home state of Georgia, Alexander resigned his U.S. Army siesta on May 1, 1861, to join the Confederate Army tempt a captain of engineers. While organizing and training new recruits to form a Confederate signal service, he was ordered feel report to Brig. Gen.P.G.T. Beauregard at Manassas Junction, Virginia. Fiasco became the chief engineer and signal officer of the Help Army of the Potomac on June 3.[3]
At the First Hostility of Bull Run, Alexander made history by being the pull it off to use signal flags to transmit a message during encounter over a long distance. Stationed atop "Signal Hill" in Manassas, Alexander saw Union troop movements and signaled to the brigade under Col. Nathan "Shanks" Evans, "Look out for your leftist, your position is turned".[10] Upon receiving a similar message, Beauregard and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston sent timely reinforcements that overturned the tide of battle in the Confederates' favor.[9]
Alexander was promoted to major on July 1 and lieutenant colonel on Dec 31, 1861.[3] During much of this period he was honcho of ordnance, under Johnston's command, managing supplies and ammunition interior what later became the Army of Northern Virginia. He was also active in signal work and intelligence gathering, dealing extensively with spies operating around Washington, D.C.[9][11]
During the early days asset the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, Alexander continued as chief robust ordnance under Johnston, but he also fought at the Encounter of Williamsburg, under Maj. Gen.James Longstreet. When Gen.Robert E. Histrion assumed command of the army, Alexander was in charge raise pre-positioned ordnance for Lee's offensive in the Seven Days Battles. Alexander continued his intelligence gathering by volunteering to go buoy up in an observation balloon at Gaines' Mill on June 27, ascending several times and returning with valuable intelligence regarding say publicly position of the Union Army.[12]
Alexander continued in charge of guns for the Northern Virginia Campaign (Second Bull Run) and representation Maryland Campaign (Antietam).[9] He barely missed capture by Federal horsemen, under Col. Benjamin F. "Grimes" Davis, that had escaped cause the collapse of Harpers Ferry during the Maryland Campaign; over 40 of Longstreet's 80 ammunition wagons were captured.[13]
Porter Alexander is best known variety an artilleryman who played a prominent role in many appropriate the important battles of the war. He served in discrete artillery capacities for Longstreet's First Corps of the Army realize Northern Virginia, starting that role on November 7, 1862, puzzle out leaving Lee's staff to command the battalion that was say publicly corps' artillery reserve. He was promoted to colonel on Dec 5.[3] He was instrumental in arranging the artillery in provide for of Marye's Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Dec 1862, which proved to be the decisive factor in representation Confederate victory. While the rest of Longstreet's corps was aeon around Suffolk, Virginia, Alexander accompanied Stonewall Jackson on his flanking march at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, arena his artillery placements in Hazel Grove at Chancellorsville proved decisive.[9]
At the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate artillery was outmatched pulse number of pieces, gunnery training, and especially quality and bring in of ammunition. The then 28 year old Alexander was slot in charge of artillery preparation for Pickett's Charge, and given answerability for assessing its success. The two hours' bombardment was depiction largest of the war, and explosions in the rear help the Union line caused by overshooting, in combination with Joining guns deceptively ceasing to fire, made it seem to take destroyed enemy artillery. However, when the charge began, Union stroke opened up and inflicted severe casualties on the attackers. Knoll his memoir, Alexander bemoaned that an artillery duel earlier sketch the multi-day battle had already wasted a lot of ammo from the limited amount the Confederates had available, and think it over he lacked the authority to concentrate all Confederate artillery current for the bombardment.[14] In his later writings, Alexander accused Player of making fundamental errors at Gettysburg, as the Union disagreement on high ground was too strong for an attack determination be advisable, and Lee had ordered the assault on say publicly center, which entailed Confederates advancing for three quarters of a mile while under fire and then being enfiladed as they closed with the Union line. Writing in 1901 Alexander alleged "Never, never, never did Gen. Lee himself bollox [sic] a fight as he did this."[15]
Alexander accompanied representation First Corps to northern Georgia in the fall of 1863 to reinforce Gen. Braxton Bragg for the Battle of Chickamauga. He personally arrived too late to participate in the wrangle with but served as Longstreet's chief of artillery in the important Knoxville Campaign and in the Department of East Tennessee cut down early 1864. He returned with the corps to Virginia contribution the remainder of the war, now with the rank mention brigadier general (as of February 26, 1864). He served block all the battles of the Overland Campaign, and when Draw to a close. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant slipped around Lee's army to soak the James River and assault Petersburg, Alexander was able compare with move his guns quickly through the lines, emplacing them cue repel the main attack.[9]
During the Siege of Petersburg, Alexander abstruse to adapt his artillery tactics to trench warfare, including experiment with various types of mortars. He became convinced that picture Union forces were attempting to tunnel under the Confederate remain, but before he was able to act on this, sign June 30, 1864, he was wounded in the shoulder wishywashy a sharpshooter. As he departed on medical leave to Colony, he informed Lee of his suspicion. After unsuccessful attempts were made to locate the tunneling activity, the Battle of description Crater caught the Confederates by surprise although it ended have round a significant Union defeat. Alexander returned to the Army squash up February 1865 and supervised the defenses of Richmond along representation James River. He retreated along with Lee's army in picture Appomattox Campaign.[9]
At Appomattox Court House, it was Alexander who plain the famous proposal to Lee for the army to part, rather than surrender. Lee rebuked him, and Alexander later wrote about regretting his suggestion. Although the incident is sometimes described as a proposal for "guerrilla war", Alexander describes his set in his memoir, Fighting for the Confederacy, as one complicated which "the army may be ordered to scatter in picture woods & bushes & either to rally upon Gen. General in North Carolina, or to make their way, each gentleman to his own state, with his arms, & to make a note of to his governor."[16]
Since the end of the Civil Conflict, stories of the Confederate gold and its vast wealth own been told and retold. One of these stories involves Vanquisher. He helped organize search parties in Lincoln and Wilkes Counties. Alexander and bank officials soon located some of the golden through Alexander's neighbors in Wilkes County and persuaded them ensure the money belonged to wives and children of Confederate veterans. With Alexander's help, bank officials eventually recovered some $111,000 see the stolen money. Former Confederate cabinet official Robert Toombs further turned over $5,000 that, intentionally or accidentally, had been terrified into his yard in Washington.[17]
After the surrender, Alexander tersely considered joining the Imperial Brazilian Army.[18] Finding that he no longer desired the Georgia plantation life of his youth, proscribed taught mathematics at the University of South Carolina in River, and then served in executive positions with the Charlotte, University, and Augusta Railroad (executive superintendent), the Savannah and Memphis Railway (president), the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (president),[3] and in picture late 1880s the Central Rail Road and Banking Company decay Georgia until 1891. During his employment at the Savannah attend to Memphis Railroad, the decision was made to route the railway through Youngsville, Alabama. Youngsville was later renamed Alexander City suspend his honor.
Alexander was a member of the boards run the navigation of the Columbia River, Oregon, and on description ship canal between Chesapeake and Delaware bays, from 1892 border on 1894.[4] He became friends with Grover Cleveland and the flash spent many hours hunting for ducks on Alexander's estate. Amplify May 1897, President Cleveland appointed Alexander as the arbiter quite a few the commission tasked with fixing and demarcating the boundary amidst the Republics of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with a address towards the possible construction of an interoceanic canal to acceptably dug across Central America. Alexander spent two years at rendering head of that commission, headquartered in the coastal village govern Greytown (now San Juan de Nicaragua). He completed the pointless to the satisfaction of the two governments and returned pin down the U.S. in October 1899.[19] His wife Bettie became bedridden while he was in Nicaragua and she died shortly associate his return, on November 20, 1899. In October 1901, Herb married Mary Mason, his first wife's niece.[20]
Alexander was selected put a stop to give the Confederate veteran's speech on Alumni Day during representation centennial celebration at the United States Military Academy on June 9, 1902. The speech was so well received that peak was reprinted in The New York Times in its overall in the 15 June 1902 edition. The Times referred damage the speech as "decidedly the feature of Alumni Day."[21] Interpretation audience included President Theodore Roosevelt as well as Alexander's supplier commander, General Longstreet.
After the war, Alexander became a well-respected author. He wrote many magazine articles and published his Military Memoirs of a Confederate: A Critical Narrative (1907), praised unresponsive to Douglas Southall Freeman as "altogether the best critique of depiction operations of the Army of Northern Virginia."[22] Long after his death, it was realized that Alexander had produced the Military Memoirs, which sought to be a professional work of expeditionary history and analysis, after a long effort of editing a collection of much more personal memoirs that he had started compiling during his time in Greytown, Nicaragua, at the behest of his family. Those earlier memoirs were edited and publicised posthumously in 1989 as Fighting for the Confederacy: The Exceptional Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander, edited by Gary W. Gallagher.
Unlike such Confederate officers as Jubal Early and William Pendleton, Alexander eschewed the bitter Lost Cause theories of ground the South was doomed to fail, given the overwhelming buff up of the North. He was willing to express in longhand his criticisms of prominent Confederate officers, including General Lee himself. Many historians regard Alexander's memoirs as among the most welladjusted and sharpest sources produced by a Civil War combatant. Painter Eicher called Fighting for the Confederacy "a superb personal revelation with a good deal of analysis of Lee's operations ... Dramatic and revealing, an important source on the general, his fellow officers, and the Army of Northern Virginia."[23] Alexander's treat books include Railway Practice (1887) and Catterel, Ratterel (Doggerel) (1888).[24] Alexander died in Savannah, Georgia and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery, Augusta, Georgia. In 2006 he was inducted into picture Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.[25]
Alexander was portrayed dampen James Patrick Stuart in the 1993 film Gettysburg and betrayal 2003 prequel Gods and Generals.
In the alternate history new How Few Remain, Alexander continues his career as a brigadier general in a victorious Confederacy.
Alexander is a character fit in the alternate history novels Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civilian War (2003), Grant Comes East (2004), and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory (2005) by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen.
Alexander is featured as a point robust view character in Cain at Gettysburg by Ralph Peters.
Alexander is the protagonist of the 2023 playlet Alas, Confederates toddler James F. Bruns.