The Cape Fear Civil War Round Table

GENERAL EDWARD PORTER ALEXANDER

(Continued)

FEDERAL SERVICE

One day, quite by accident, in the lobby of a hotel, E. Porter met Surgeon Albert J. Myer, later Brigadier General Myer of the Federal Army. Myer had been involved in developing a system of communicating messages over long distances; an interest that he had picked up from observing the Comanche Indians, who would signal each other by using long poles. Myer subsequently adopted the Baine Alphabet System, and thereby created the Signal Corps. The Federal War Department was very interested and excited about its possibilities and ordered Myer to create a staff and obtain the necessary equipment to create and refine the signal corps. To Alexander's surprise, Myer appointed him as his assistant. They tested their signaling apparatuses over great distances, and the Federal Government, impressed with the results, installed Myer as Chief of the Federal Signal Corps. This experience played a major role in Alexander's future.

Alexander received his orders to report to Oregon. He and Miss Teen took a long and arduous journey by steamboat and steam locomotive in order to get to their destination. Upon their arrival, he was sent to Fort Steilacoom in Washington Territory. He and Miss Teen fell in love with this area. It was full of beautiful scenery, excellent hunting and fishing, and the Indians were friendly and cordial. After a short duty there, E. Porter was ordered to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to assist with its fortifications. During his stay there, Georgia seceded from the Union, prompting E. Porter to resign his commission in the Federal army. All of his commanding officers tried desperately to change his mind, but like Robert E. Lee of Virginia, Alexander could not fight against his home state and the people of Georgia. He and Miss Teen returned to Georgia.

CONFEDERATE OFFICER

E. Porter Alexander now realized that the Confederacy was forming and was raising an army to defend against the Yankee invasion. He reported to Richmond on June 1, 1861. Once there, he had an audience with President Jefferson Davis, who knew of Alexander and his signal corps experience, immediately appointed him as captain of the Confederate States Signal Corps. Alexander was authorized to train the men, and obtain the necessary equipment to establish the signal corps. He took great zeal and determination to immediately establish a well-run signal corps.

As head of the CSA Signal Corps, E. Porter was ordered to report to General P.G.T. Beauregard. He was placed on Beauregard's staff and given the honor of a place in his mess. Alexander wrote the following: 'General Beauregard had more courtesy of manner than any of the other generals with whom I ever served.'

Alexander had a tremendous respect for General Beauregard's engineering skills and his overall military bearing and manner. He felt his defensive engineering of the Charleston Harbor was superb and that he had done an excellent job with the defenses of Petersburg. Speculatively, General Beauregard would be the Confederate general most admired and respected by E. Porter.

Alexander now prepared himself for the inevitable War and battles to come. He purchased two horses--Dixie, a large, dark bay; and Meg, a shorter and lighter bay. This was significant because many times during the War, if Alexander would have been riding the taller horse, and artillery projectile would have taken off his head; and if he would have been riding the shorter horse, his leg may have been removed by a projectile. Consequently, fate played a most definite role in which horse he rode on any particular day.

About this time, a friend in Charleston, South Carolina gave E. Porter a telescope. This special astronomical glass was about six feet long when fully extended, a four-inch aperture, and a custom-made leather case was crafted to fit on his saddle. He knew a special way of holding the telescope, that made it very steady and usable without a tripod. Alexander never used field glasses; he only used his special telescope. This gave him a tremendous advantage in viewing the enemy and reconnoitering the land. It also came in very handy with his signal corps duties.

He hired a 15-year old 'ginger cake darkie' body servant by the name of Charley Crowley. Alexander acted as a father figure, and commented that he had to give Charley a little licking twice--once for stealing pears from a tree without asking the owner, and the other for stealing apple brandy and getting tight on it at Gettysburg. Charley was an admirable body servant and stayed with Alexander throughout the War. A strong bond of friendship and respect evolved between the two men.

Being on the staff of General Beauregard, Alexander was given an unusual assignment to do some secret service work. The Confederates needed more information on the movements and troop strength of the Federal army. Alexander created a system of spies and methods of receiving their information. He appointed E. Pliny Bryan, of Maryland, as his chief spy. With Bryan in Washington, DC, Alexander could receive signal messages. Bryan would get a room in a hotel that Alexander could see from Mason Hill in adjacent Virginia with his telescope, and would signal Alexander with a coffee pot reflecting from the sun or movement of the window drapes. This method worked extremely well. The famous Rose O'Neal Greenhowe, Augusta Morris, and Mrs. Baxley were in this system of spies. Unfortunately, this all ended. The Federals got suspicious and arrested them all. However, they were later released due to insufficient evidence.

On the morning of Sunday, July 21, 1861, General Johnston and General Beauregard decided that they must attack General McDowell and the Federal army. Thus, the Battle of First Manassas began. Alexander positioned himself on Wilcoxen Hill on top of a signal tower. This hill is now called Signal Hill. At approximately 8:30 A.M., a flash of light reflecting from a brass cannon caught his eye. He immediately saw the impending movements of the enemy. Federal troops were going to flank Colonel Nathan G. 'Shanks' Evans of South Carolina. He sent a signal to Colonel Evans, 'Look to your left, you are turned,' thus indicating that he was going to be flanked on his left. After receiving this message, Colonel Evans took the necessary movements to prevent this, thus saving his regiment. After the battle, General Beauregard was very pleased and much impressed with Alexander and the Signal Corps. Alexander had the honor of being the first to send a signal by the wig-wag method during the War Between the States.

Alexander's military record and performance during the War was outstanding. In addition to being well thought of by his superiors and subordinates, he acquired the following record of promotion:

After the Battle of 1st Manassas, he was assigned to the staff of General James Longstreet, 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. At first, he served in many capacities, but mainly in artillery and later as chief of artillery for General Longstreet. Alexander's brilliant array of talents made him a general's dream -- he had a special genius for keeping things simplistic and well organized and a meticulous eye for detail. His exploits at Gettysburg are well known, but E. Porter gave exceptional service on other battlefields as well.

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