Alford enlisted in the 16th New York Infantry Regiment soon after the American Civil War began, and saw action at the First Battle of Bull Run.
In June 1862, Alford received his commission as a second lieutenant of Company H, 8th Maine Infantry Regiment.
While attached to the 8th Maine, Alford served as judge's advocate from 1863 to 1864 at Beaufort and Hilton Head, South Carolina.
In March 1864, Alford began reporting to Israel Vogdes of the X Corps, and subsequently joined the Army of the James.
Alford ended his Union Army service in October 1864, and moved to Waterloo, Iowa, in 1886.