Anderson, Robert, 1805-1871

Anderson, Robert, 1805-1871

ANDERSON, Robert, general, was born on June 14, 1805, near Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating from West Point in 1825, he served with distinction in the Seminole and Mexican wars and became one of the leading artillery specialists in the army, attaining the rank of major in 1857. In November 1860 the War Department appointed him commander of the garrison at Charleston, South Carolina, hoping that because he was a Southerner and a slave owner, his presence would soothe the South Carolinians. Although he was loyal to the Union, Anderson opposed using force to keep the South from seceding and desired to avoid a clash that might lead to war. Hence, on learning that the South Carolinians planned to seize Fort Moultrie, where most of his garrison was stationed and that was defenseless against land attack, he transferred the garrison to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on the night of December 26, 1860. In January, President James Buchanan (q.v.) sent the Star of the West to resupply Anderson's garrison, but the ship turned back when South Carolina batteries opened fire and when Anderson — still seeking to avoid war — refrained from answering their fire.

Early in April, President Abraham Lincoln (q.v.) ordered another relief expedition to Fort Sumter. The Confederates called upon Anderson to surrender. He refused but stated that he would have to abandon the fort if it was not supplied soon. The Confederates, wishing to force the issue of Southern independence, began bombarding Sumter on the morning of April 12. Anderson returned their fire, and the civil war he had hoped to prevent was under way. On April 14, further resistance being pointless, Anderson surrendered the fort and the Confederates allowed him and his troops to proceed to the North, where they were greeted as heroes. Lincoln placed Anderson, promoted to brigadier general, in command of Kentucky, which vital state he helped save for the Union. In October 1861 Anderson retired from active service for reasons of health. On April 14, 1865, he returned to Fort Sumter and raised the same flag he had lowered four years before. On October 26, 1871, he died in Nice, France. Crawford, History of Fort Sumter; Swanberg, First Blood.

Albert Castel

Source: Hubbell, John T. and Geary, James W., eds. Biographical Dictionary of the Union: Northern Leaders of the Civil War. Westport, CT, Greenwood Press, 1995.