Prior to the outbreak of American Civil War, Edward Morrison Alfriend was working as an insurance underwriter at his father's firm in Richmond, Virginian. On 10 June, 1861 he was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in Company E of the 44th Virginia Infantry Division. Less than a year later, on 1 May, 1862, he was promoted to full captain. Alfriend distinguished himself in one battle when he came to the aid of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston after Johnston had become separated from his command and was in peril of being killed or captured by Union soldiers. Some time after the war ended Alfriend began his writing career while working as a partner in his father's insurance business in Richmond. After achieving some success he decided to relocate to New York City in the late 1880s. There he was described by one of his Northern associates as "a portly Southern gentleman with a walrus mustache". Some of Alfriend's more popular plays were "A Woman's Ordeal" (1877), "The Louisianan" (1892), "Across the Potomac" (1894) written with Augustus Pitou "The Diplomat" (1894), "The Great Diamond Robbery" (1895) written with A.C. Wheeler and "His Double Life" (1896). He also contributed articles to many of the popular periodicals of his day. Alfriend once interviewed Edwin Booth for an article he was writing about the acting career of John Wilkes Booth. In 1891 he wrote a Civil War era piece for Cosmopolitan titled "Social Life in Richmond during the War." Edward M. Alfriend had at least two brothers, Frank Heath Alfriend (1841-1887), an author, newspaper reporter, teacher and at the time of his death, assistant librarian for the US Senate. Frank Alfriend is primarily remembered as a friend and biographer of Jefferson Davis. "The life of Jefferson Davis" by Frank H. Alfriend is still available in bookstores today, 140 years after it was first published. Thomas Lee Alfriend (1843-1901) was a sergeant in the Virginia Infantry during the war and later became one of the more successful insurance executives in Virginia. Transcripts of letters Thomas wrote his brother Frank during the Civil War are kept in a special collection at the College of William and Mary Swem Library in Williamsburg, Virginia. Edward Morrison Alfriend passed away in New York City just six months after his brother Thomas had died in Virginia. Both Edward and Thomas' remains are interned at the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
