Edward
Porter Alexander was born on May 26, 1835 in Washington, Georgia.
Alexander, who preferred to be known as Porter rather than Edward,
finally convinced his father to allow him to attend West Point,
on the condition that he study to become an engineer. Following
his graduation in 1857, he was retained by West Point to teach
artillery principles. Porter was also instrumental
in developing the signal (or wig-wag) system, which he helped
present to Congress in early 1860. In addition to his work,
he courted and married Betty Mason on April 3, 1860. Porter
called her “Miss Teen,” and throughout the war
wrote to her, and seized every opportunity to see her. They
would eventually have six children, and in his later years,
he would write the manuscript detailing his wartime experiences
that would eventually be published in 1989 as “Fighting
for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General
Edward Porter Alexander.”>
During the war, Porter served under four major commanders, Beauregard, Johnson, Longstreet, and Lee. He was the first to use the new signal system in combat at the first Battle of Manassas in 1861, and observed what he believed to be the first shot of the engagement hit the kitchen of his friend John Mclean. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to Colonel, and served under both Johnson and Lee as Chief of Ordinance for the Army of Northern Virginia. Given command of a battalion of artillery, Porter was soon given responsibility beyond his rank, and was trusted by Lee for both his skill in artillery and opinions. After serving with distinction throughout most of the major battles of the war, he was with Lee at the time of the surrender at Appomattox. Porter returned to his beloved Miss Teen, and in his post-war years taught mathematics at the University of South Carolina, ran several railroads, and was sent as an arbiter by President Cleveland to resolve a border dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Porter died on April 28, 1910, and is buried in Magnolia Cemetery, located in Augusta, Georgia.
Daniel
Brown has been involved in Civil War Re-enacting since 1999,
and has served in several infantry units, as well as being
currently involved with First Stuart Horse Artillery. He attends
fifteen to twenty events a year, and teaches high school history
at Fairfax Christian Academy. He is an amateur blacksmith,
and enjoys reading and writing as well as continuing to improve
his portrayal of Porter Alexander.