Scope and Content Note
The papers of Robert Anderson (1805-1871) span the years 1819-1948, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period 1836-1870. Included in the collection are correspondence and letterbooks, printed matter, drafts of writings, and official documents. Part of the material relates to Anderson's military duty in the Black Hawk War and Mexican War and to his writings on coast defense, ordnance, and artillery tactics. Chief interest centers in his prominent role at the outbreak of the Civil War, when he was commander of the Union garrison during the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Also in the collection are the papers of Anderson's daughter, Eba Anderson Lawton, historian and biographer of her father.
Correspondents include Larz Anderson, A. D. Bache, P. T. Barnum, G. T. Beauregard, Duncan Lamont Clinch, Samuel Wylie Crawford, John J. Crittenden, John A. Dix, Abner Doubleday, Hamilton Fish, Joseph Holt, Abraham Lincoln, F. W. Pickens, Winfield Scott, William T. Sherman, Edwin McMasters Stanton, and Charles Sumner.