He enlisted in the Confederate States Army and served in an artillery battery under Captain Jonathan H. McClanahan, part of General John Imboden’s cavalry brigade.

On March 2, 1865, at Fishersville, Virginia, Anderson captured a Confederate flag during the Battle of Waynesboro.

On March 19, 1865, Anderson and other soldiers who had captured flags were given a 30-day furlough and the Medal of Honor by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

He served 12 years, participating in the Indian Wars before receiving a hardship discharge on April 4, 1878.

Anderson settled in Staunton, Virginia, near his sister Mary, and returned to his birth name of George Pforr.