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Union general (1805-1871) in command of Fort Sumter who refused a formal demand for his surrender, leading to the bombardment of the fort and start of the Civil War. Two items: AMS signed "Yours respectfully, Robert Anderson, US Army," one page, 4.75 x 7.25, offering remarks on the start of the Civil War, in full: "The bombardment of Fort Sumter commenced at 3 1/2 AM, Apl. 12, 1861 & that work was evacuated in the afternoon of Apl. 14th/61"; and an earlier ALS signed "Robert Anderson, Major, USA," one page, 5 x 7.5, Fort Sumter, South Carolina, January 24, 1861, in full: "Thanking you for the compliment, you pay me in your favor of the 17th inst." In very good to fine condition, with staining to the edges of both pieces, heavier to the Sumter statement.
Major Robert Anderson was the Union commander in charge of Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, at the outbreak of the Civil War. A career Army officer from Kentucky, Anderson found himself at the center of the national crisis when Confederate forces demanded the fort's surrender. On April 12, 1861, after Anderson refused to evacuate, Confederate batteries opened fire, beginning the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The outgunned Union garrison held out for 34 hours before Anderson surrendered the fort, marking the official start of the Civil War.
