American Historical Ephemera & Photography

2 5/16 x 3 11/16 in. CDV on cardstock mount (image toned, with few punctures to upper edge and light soiling/spotting; wear to mount edges and corners). Signed on image "Robert Anderson Br. Genl. USA." Verso stamped for Brinckerhoff's studio on Broadway. Anderson is featured in profile, wearing his uniform coat. 

Kentucky native General Robert Anderson (1805-1871) was the commanding officer of US Army forces in Charleston when Confederate forces were ordered to capture Charleston Harbor's Fort Sumter in April of 1861. Thus the very first battle of the Civil War began on 12 April, when Confederate forces commanded by Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard (who had been a student of Anderson's at West Point) opened fire on the fort. The battle ended when Anderson surrendered just two days later, realizing he was severely outnumbered. Though this was hardly a victory, Anderson's valiant defense made him a hero in the eyes of his compatriots, leading to his promotion to brigadier general on 15 May of that same year.