Major Robert Anderson Surrender Fort Sumter

 

The War Department instructed Major Robert Anderson to prepare for battle but not assume a warlike stance. The government could not reinforce or supply the garrison without bringing the conflict to a head. Anderson was to make do with the materials and men he had. He was to walk a fine line between readiness and disaster. Not long after, the fall of Fort Sumter launched the Civil War. (Elson, Henry W. The Photographic History of the Civil War. 1912)