Robert Anderson, Fort Sumter Commander
Major Robert Anderson
Full Name
Robert Anderson
Biographical Notes
Born: 14 June, 1805, Near Louisville, Kentucky (Soldier’s Retreat)
Died: 26 October, 1871, Nice, France
- A native of Kentucky, most ancestors were Southern as was his wife (she was from Georgia).
- Owned slaves and sympathized with the South.
Military Notes
Education
United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1825
- Sent by Washington to take over command of three forts in the Charleston, South Carolina area. These included: Sumter, Castle Pinckney and Moultrie.
- Did his duty in defense of Fort Sumter
Wars Fought
Black Hawk War
Second Seminole War
Mexican American War
American Civil War
Ranks Held
- Brevet 2nd Lieutenant
- 1st Lieutenant
- Assistant Adjunct General
- Brevet Major
- Major, Union
- Brigadier General, Union
- Brevet Major General
Noteworthy Battles Fought
Battle of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina. His opponent was J. T.
Connections
- His father, Major Richard Anderson, defended Fort Moultrie (then Fort Sullivan) during the American Revolution.
- In the Black Hawk War, Anderson mustered in and out of the military then Captain Abraham Lincoln.
