General Edward Porter Alexander at Fredericksburg: Letters to the Southern Historical Society (Illustrated)

In the narrative of the Civil War, Edward Porter Alexander has loomed larger in death than in life. Just 25 years old when the war broke out, Porter Alexander had already served as an engineer and officer in the U.S. Army, but the native Georgian resigned his commission in May 1861 and joined the Confederacy after his home state seceded.

Though he had served with distinction during the Civil War, it was Porter Alexander’s memoirs that have kept his name alive today. Though many prominent officers on both sides wrote memoirs, Porter Alexander’s were among the most insightful and often considered by historians as the most evenhanded. With a sense of humor and a good narrative, Porter Alexander skillfully narrates the war, his service, and he isn’t afraid to criticize officers, including Lee, when he thought they had made mistakes. As a result, historians continue to rely heavily on his memoirs as a source for Civil War history.

Before he even wrote his memoirs, he wrote letters that were published in the Southern Historical Society, which kept a literary journal that helped develop the “Lost Cause” and became the clearinghouse for many Confederate writers after the war. In this letter, Porter Alexander narrates his account of the Battle of Petersburg.

This edition of General Edward Porter Alexander at Fredericksburg is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and includes images of Porter Alexander and Fredericksburg.