, 1861-05-10
Robert &nderanns


Among. all the lions now attracting TIE A.
tention Of strangers in and resfdents Of "aah'
fngton, stimulating the curiosity Of the out
side world, Robert Anderson, - he called HIN.
sels In his great despatc. to the Secretary OF
War after hae gallant defe ce of Sumter, Ma
jorof the First Artillery OF the army ofthe Uni.
ted 6tates, has npquee tionably awaenked the
most interest. 1rlet him yesterday, and stud
ied his character from IN eaIneet eQfvey q as
appearance Robert Anderson Isl slngu1arly
unpretendfng man, Of medium height, com:
plexlon evidently hronzed by exposure and
hard Rerrice, iron.Rr8y hair, and snehtly oald,
q fAce closely st taven, large blue grsy eye,
=. deepeetfa aud oHershadowed BY = hs4Fy eye
brow; thin compressed lips dn6 forenead !;
hls features long and fixed, Indicating seu-re"
Haace, eomposufe o. mind, and Wltfa1 wear"
ing the senb1a0ce Of the greatest benevolenee
He SCENE ITO ~ayeid observation and to be
somewhat oppressed w..h the know ledge that
he was The centre Of It. Wien saw him he
Raa In one Of the departments, aud stroled
from room TO ROOM With hands full Of papefs,
quietly hun1mtng;an Asf, md evidently nncon-
cerncd and Satisfied that he had done bis duty.
shou1d Judge his years to be at least forty
fve:a Major Anderson has returned from
Charleston more than ever impressed with the
belief that but fortbe Intervention ofa supertn-
tending Providence he could not have escaped
asacEidee to the aava9e4nd unprovoked attacks
Of the Dieunianists. Si.ent - he ia, and caH-
tious In the utteEauces Of his sentiments, he
does notconeeal his eplaioa-tha under the
surface Of their ostentattous courtesy these
men bora to hin, ,:as the representative Of
1aS they feared becauAe they had insulted Il,
q deep, 1mp1aeahle hatred. There is ona opin-
Ion be- does not hide, either from: President
or Cabinet ministers, and that Is that the hand
Of God has been stretched forth to protect cur
Union, apd to- sRve 1t from its zdverssfies.
But for the unproVoked attack on Sumter the
Northern people would haye been divided In
to factions, Had ha eYacuated It., as 1t one
time proposed, his Q wn fama would have suf-
fered, and the Government would have fallen
Into contempt. .Tha 6scesefopibta wpuld have
taken courage and the Disuniouists IN the
free States would have tainted the friends Of
the Administration with want Of resolution,
aud would have inzlsted upon recognition of
the Southern Confsderacys In act, nothing
the arrogance Of the -DIsupfonists, who, in1a-
ted with the hope that hy their ten Thousand
men they could easily exse1miua&e less than
one hundred, refused to allow the Admlniar
tion to furnish him supplies, and therefore
compelled him to defence which, while saving
ne Government from overtnro@, has immor
tasized Ma 0wn name. The victory Of these
thousands of madmen,. achieved after. q terri.
ble destruction Of their own stolen forts, and
! do not doubt, after heavy LOGS Of life amoHg
their own troops, intoxicated them with the
e1pactation Of an easy conquest Of the. Cor
ernment and no doubt instigated the moba
Of Baltimore to the attack upon the Massa'
dersoi reached New York, sud when he az:
rived In Washington, he found not only q
grateful people glad I'd do him honor, but 4
peopla consolidated around the Administra
tioD, tired Of making peacefnl propositions tt
traltota, burning to ayenge unproVokec