WASHINGTON – It’s one of the busiest stops in the Metro system, but not everyone is comfortable pronouncing McPherson. For help, we turn to WTOP’s Answer Desk.

James Birdseye McPherson was a general who served on the union side of the Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Atlanta, and was the second highest ranking officer killed during the entire war.

Besides the subway stop and park, there are counties named for him in three states.

The debate over McPherson vs. McPhurson was first reported by DCist.com last week following a Tweet by WAMU’s Patrick Madden.

Pronouncer question for the twitter-verse.McPherson Square … mc-FEAR-son or mc-FER-son?

— james patrick madden (@Patrick_Madden) January 31, 2012

Listen to this audio to hear the proper pronunciation of the general’s name.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)