At  the  age  of  twelve  years  young  Anderson
made  qnite  successful  attempts  at  engraving
on  copper  and  type-metal,  and  two  or  three
years  later  he  began  the  study  of  medicine.  In
1796  he  received  the  degree  of  M.D.  from  Co-
lumbia College,  writing  for  the  occasion  an  able
thesis  on  "  Chronic  Mania."  He  practised  the
profession  for  a  few  years,  and  engraved  at  the
same  time,  liking  that  employment  better.  Af-
ter the. yellow-fever  in  1798  had  swept  away
nearly  his  whole  family,  he  abandoned  the  prac-
tice of  medicine  and  made  engraving  his  life
profession.    Having  seen  an  edition  of  Bewick's


Sistory  of  Quadrupeds,  illustrated  with  wood-
engravings  by  that  master,  Anderson  first  learn-
ed that  wood  was  used  for  such  a  purpose.     He


ALEXAJIDEK  A^'DEKSOX.
tried  it  successfully ;  and  from  that  time  (1795)
he  used  it  almost  continuously  until  a  few
months  before  his  death,  a  period  of  seventy-
five  years.  A  vast  number  of  American  books
illustrated  by  Anderson  attest  the  skill  and  in-
dustry of  this  pioneer  of  the  art  of  wood-eugi'av-
ing  in  America^  The  writer  possesses  the  last
work  from  bis  hand — an  unfinished  engraving
on  wood,  executed  when  he  lacked  only  a  few
months  of  being  ninety-five  years  of  age.
Anderson  and  Pickens  (1860).  Major  Ander-
son, in  Fort  Sumter,  keenly  felt  the  insult  to  his
country's  flag  in  the  firing  upon  the  Star  of  the
West  (which  see).  He  accepted  it  as  an  act  of
war,  and  sent  a  letter,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  to
Governor  Pickens,  as  to  a  belligerent  enemy,
asking  him  for  an  explanation  of  the  outrage.
Pickens  replied  that  it  was  an  act  authorized
by  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  and  that  any
attempt  to  reinforce  Sumter  would  be  resisted.
