3. Anderson, Robert. Autograph statement on the Bombardment of Ft. Sumter signed (“Robert Anderson”), 1 page (4.5 x 7.1 in.; 114 x 180 mm.), no place or date. Extended margins with soiling on edges and mounting remnants on verso.

Major Robert Anderson discusses the bombardment of Fort Sumter – triggering the beginning of the Civil War.

Anderson writes in full:
The bombardment of Fort Sumter commenced at 3 ½ am. Apl. 12. 1861 & that work was evacuated in the afternoon of Apl. 14th / 61 Yours Respectfully Robert Anderson U.S. Army

Accompanied by a Robert Anderson autograph letter signed, 1 page (5 x 7.5 in.; 127 x 190 mm.), “Fort Sumter, S.C.”, 24 January 1861, to John M. Burt. Fine.

Anderson writes in full:
Sir. Thanking you for the compliment, you pay me, in your favor of the 17th inst. I am very truly yours Robert Anderson Major USA.

On 20 November 1860, at the request of Southern members of Congress, Secretary of War Floyd sent Robert Anderson (then a Major, having been promoted in 1857) to take over the command of the three forts in Charleston Harbor, S.C. (only one of which - Fort Moultrie - was garrisoned) when secession became imminent. Evidently, Floyd supposed that Anderson’s Kentucky background would render him faithful to the Southern cause. However, Anderson’s fidelity to the Union resulted in one of the most dramatic episodes of the entire Civil War - the defense of Fort Sumter during its lengthy bombardment. For five weeks after his appointment, Anderson called upon the War Department for reinforcements, but no assistance in men or munitions was provided. After South Carolina passed the ordinance of secession (20 December 1857), Anderson secretly spiked the guns at Fort Moultrie and shifted its garrison to Fort Sumter, which (due to its location on a shoal in the harbor) could not be approached by land. Reinforcements arrived on the Star of the West (9 January 1861), but enemy gunfire (without support from Anderson’s garrison in Fort Sumter) forced it to turn back. Confronted with a formal demand to surrender his post, he defended the fort against a bombardment that lasted nearly 34 hours until surrender was his only available course of action (14 April 1861). $800 - $1,200

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June 11, 2015 11:00 AM PDT
26662 Agoura Rd
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