Musician Alexander Elick McPherson was born at Barbour County, Alabama on March 19th, 1847. Sometime prior to 1860, his family moved to Marianna in Jackson County, Florida.

In the census of that year, he is shown living at his father Archibald’s residence along with his step-mother Debora Ann (nee Edinfield), an older sister and brother, two younger brothers and two younger sisters.

Alexander, older brother James, and father Archibald all enlisted on March 20th, 1862 at Chattahoochee, Gadsden County, Florida; Alexander was 15 years old and James was 16 years old. Both were assigned as musicians.

During the Civil War, military leaders with the Union and the Confederacy relied on military musicians to entertain troops, position troops in battle, and stir them on to victory — some actually performing concerts in forward positions during the fighting. Musicians enjoyed no more privileges than the common soldier. Initially, the rank of "musician" in Northern armies was comparable to that of private and was viewed negatively by many. In the South, musicians were generally assigned a somewhat more valuable status and were paid twelve dollars a month, one dollar more than a private. (About Army Bands, and Brice, Marshall M. (1967). The Stonewall Brigade Band. McClure Printing, Verona, Virginia. p. 213.)

Archibald, being some 51 years old, was taken into service as a Private.

Alexander was present with the company from the date of his enlistment until October 10th, 1863 when he was ordered to the hospital by a Surgeon for unspecified reason.

He is documented present at the S. P. Moore Hospital at Griffin, Georgia during the period September 30 to December 1, 1863. In addition to the long hours of musical responsibilities, band members bore many other duties. If they were not directly involved in the fighting, and many were, they were invaluable in guarding equipment and prisoners. Many times they assisted in cooking, for both the troops and the wounded. They were also employed as physical laborers setting up field hospitals, collecting wood, and digging trenches; most were assigned to the medical staff, either as an assistant, a stretcher-bearer, or an orderly. Given the horrific casualties suffered by Confederate forces at the Battle of Chickamauga on September 18th – 20th, it is possible that Alexander was sent to the hospital as medical support. (Brice, Marshall M. (1967). The Stonewall Brigade Band. McClure Printing, Verona, Virginia. p. 213.)

Alexander returned to the company on December 1st, 1863 and was reported present from this point until it surrendered at Durham Station, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. He was listed with the rank of Private, and paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina on May 1st, 1865.

He was twice married; first to Annie Ellen (née Gainer), and subsequently in 1872 to Sarah Elizabeth (née Gregory) with whom he fathered 7 children. Private McPherson applied for and was awarded a Florida Confederate Pension. He died on June 16th, 1930 at Gretna, Gadsden County, Florida.

Alexander McPherson