Robert Smalls  "From Slave To Politician"  1839 - 1915

Slave Robert Smalls had been hired out by his owner to work in the Charleston, SC, shipyards when he was 12 years old. By the spring of 1862, at age 23, Smalls was piloting a steam-powered side-wheeler through the waterways around Charleston. The shallow-draft Planter, built as a cotton transport with a capacity of 1,400 bales, was perfectly suited for maneuvering through South Carolina's coastal waters.

For many months the Planter and its slave crew had been chartered to the Confederate government for critical missions throughout the Rebel-controlled waterways. In the predawn hours of May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, with his wife and two children and 12 other slaves, commandeered the Planter. Dressed as the boat's captain and knowing the proper signals that would enable him to pass Fort Sumter, Smalls set out toward the Union navy's blockading fleet and offered his boat to the Union ships.

In addition to the Planter, the Union received the armament and cargo of four cannon and vital intelligence about the Confederate defenses. Their best plum, however, turned out to be Robert Smalls himself. He was made the civilian captain of the Planter, participated in 17 engagements, provided services as a pilot- and he learned to read. Smalls became a celebrity during the war. He met President Lincoln and participated in fund-raising activities.

At the end of the war Smalls bought his former master's home, including the slave quarters where he was born, and lived there for the rest of his life. He served two years in South Carolina's house of representatives and three years in the state senate. Smalls was sentenced to three years in prison for having taken a $5,000 bribe as a senator, but was pardoned. Beginning in 1875, Smalls was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms. He served as collector for the port of Beaufort, SC, for his last 19 years. In 1897 Congress awarded him a pension of $30 a month, and in 1900 he was awarded $5,000 for his role in the capture of the Planter.

Fascinating Fact:  At least 134,111 slaves became Union soldiers during the war.


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