Facts:   - death place: savannah , georgia    - branch: usa csa engineers , artillery    - caption: edward porter alexander photo taken between 1862 and 1864    - placeofburial label: place of burial    - battles: american civil war    - death date: 28 april 1910    - allegiance: usa 1851 united states confederate states of america    - commands: artillery      - placeofburial: magnolia cemetery , augusta , georgia    - birth date: 26 may 1835    - serviceyears: 1857 -lrb- csa -rrb- -- 61 -lrb- usa -rrb- 1861 -- 65    - name: edward porter alexander    - image size: 250    - laterwork: railroad executive , planter , and author    - image: edwardpalexander.jpg    - birth place: washington , georgia    - rank: 35px -lrb- csa -rrb- second lieutenant -lrb- usa -rrb- 35px brigadier general   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of edward porter alexander .
edward porter alexander -lrb- may 26 , 1835 -- april 28 , 1910 -rrb- was a military engineer , railroad executive , planter , and author .he served first as an officer in the united states army and later , during the american civil war -lrb- 1861 -- 1865 -rrb- , in the confederate army , rising to the rank of brigadier general .alexander was the officer in charge of the massive artillery bombardment preceding pickett 's charge , on the third day of the battle of gettysburg , and is also noted for his early use of signals and observation balloons during combat .after the civil war , he taught mathematics at the university of south carolina in columbia , spent time in nicaragua , and wrote extensive memoirs and analyses of the war , which have received much praise for their insight and objectivity .his `` military memoirs of a confederate '' were published in 1907 .an extensive personal account of his military training and his participation in the civil war was rediscovered long after his death and published in 1989 as `` fighting for the confederacy '' .