This week's hero is...
Robert Smalls
"My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life"
Robert Smalls was a slave who was born on April 5, 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. He grew up on a plantation that was owned by a man named John McKee. During his early life as a slave, Robert worked on Mckee's plantation and in the house with the rest of the slaves. However in 1851, Robert was taken to Charleston SC where the McKee family owned a second house. In Charleston, he worked as a lamplighter and sailmaker. He eventually became a sailor and an expert navigator on the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. He got married to woman named, Hannah in 1856 and had two kids.
Like most slaves, Robert yearned to live as a free human being. He was also constantly terrified of his family being sold to a different master in another part of the country. If that happened, Robert knew he would likely never see them again. Therefore, he was constantly watching and waiting for the right opportunity to escape from bondage.
When the Civil War broke out, a large armada of Union ships set up a blockade around Confederate ports. The blockade was especially thick around Charleston Harbor. In the beginning of the war, Robert Smalls was one of many slaves who were forcefully conscripted to serve in the Confederate Navy under white commanders. He was stationed as a deckhand on an ammunition ship named, CSS Planter. The Planter was a former cotton steamer that was converted to supply Confederate soldiers in river operations along the Carolina coast.
During his time on the Planter, Smalls secretly planned an escape from slavery. He eventually came up with a bold plan. Smalls planned to sneak his family and other slaves onto the Planter, commandeer the ship, and then sail it to the Union fleet that was blockading the harbor. It was a very risky plan. The blockade was ten miles away from the harbor. Smalls would have to pass at least five major Confederate outposts and fortifications in order to reach the fleet. The risk of being captured was very high. And Smalls knew that if he was caught, he and his fellow slaves would be severely punished by the Confederates. There was also the risk of being sunk by the blockading Union ships which had been instructed to sink or capture any ships that tried to leave the harbor (these ships were called, "blockade runners"). Despite these risks, Smalls was determined to be free and confident in his navigating abilities. If the escape failed, he resolved to blow up the ship instead of returning to slavery.
Smalls chance came on May 13, 1862. While the white officers and crew were sleeping in Charleston, Smalls and a handful of other slaves woke up early in the morning and snuck onto the Planter. At around 3 in the morning, they untied the ship and began to sail her out of the harbor. Before leaving the harbor they sailed to the pier to pick up the women and children (Small's family included). After this, the Planter began to steam out of Charleston. For the next two hours, they steamed passed the Confederate fortifications. During the voyage most of the escaped slaves hid in the cabin of the ship with Smalls and the other slave crew members mascarading as the crew. Thanks in part to a heavy fog, they passed by the fortifications without incident. By 4:15, the Planter had passed Fort Sumter which was the last of the Confederate fortifications between the slaves and the Union blockade. They were eventually sighted and approached by one of the Union ships (USS Onward). Smalls acted quickly: he ripped down the Confederate flag on the ship and raised a white sheet. After seeing this, the Onward pulled alongside the Planter and received the passengers. With that, Robert Smalls and his group of 16 slaves were finally free.
Robert Small's escape to freedom immediately captured the attention of the American public. He became a legend and was praised as a freedom fighter by President Lincoln. In addition to stealing a vessel from the Confederate Navy, Smalls had also brought all the ship's ammunition with him. He also provided valuable knowledge to Union intelligence about Confederate shipping and troop movements around Charleston. This knowledge later led to the capture of many blockade runners along the Carolina coast.
For the rest of the war, Robert Smalls served as an advisor in the Union Navy while his family lived in Philadelphia. Although he still experienced racism, he never once regretted escaping from slavery. When the Civil War ended, Smalls played a prominent role in the Reconstruction era. He and his family eventually returned to their old home in Beaufort SC. In 1868, he was elected as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1884, Smalls was elected to U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina's 7th district (the first African-American to ever do so). For the rest of his life, Smalls fought against racism and for equality. He died on February 23, 1915 at the age of 75.
Robert Smalls was very brave and remarkable individual. He was a slave who never lost the desire to be a free man. He fought so that others continued to do so until his death. There is no doubt that Robert Smalls was one of the most inspirational figures in American history and should be revered by all who fight for freedom.
Further Information:
http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/21764
https://www.biography.com/people/robert-smalls-9486288
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thrilling-tale-how-robert-smalls-heroically-sailed-stolen-confederate-ship-freedom-180963689/
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